Surviving Dorm R
by katz7777777
Summary: Haruhi switches schools part way through the year, and has now transferred to Ouran Academy. However, her dorm-mates are more that what she expected, and one by one events begin to unfold. Will Haruhi survive in Dorm R?
1. The Transfer Student

**A/N: So this is my first time writing a fic for this anime, so the characters may seem a little OOC (sorry!) This is also my first time writing a story that isn't a one-shot, so I don't really have an update schedule. My plan is kinda half baked, so we'll see how this goes... Anyways, here goes nothing!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own ouran high-school host club of any of the characters mentioned in this story!**

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><p>I was late.<p>

Again.

This always seems to happen on the first day of school. Either the alarm clock doesn't work, my shoes are missing, or my father wants to change my entire wardrobe to pink. Not happening. Ever.

Today, however, I was stopped by none of the minor events listed above. Instead, I was blocked by the line of thirty some-odd limousines in the school driveway. That's right, limousines.

My father and I used to live in Karuizawa with one of my fathers friends, and we were helping him run a bed and breakfast inn. At the time, we were living what I consider a modest lifestyle, but it could also be called living paycheck-to-paycheck. That is until the transvestite business my father was working at shut down, and we were forced to move to a different city.

Now, part way through a school year, I was being asked to attend Ouran Academy. This school is known as one of the most prestigious boarding schools in Japan, mostly due to the fact that all of the students were heirs to famous corporations. Many of the students graduate to become the head of their family company, and often fare well in the business world. Parents pay large sums of money for their children to attend this school in hopes that they will succeed.

I, however, do not have the money or the influence to attend such a school. I am attending this school thanks to an educational scholarship I received after passing the entrance exam.

So I, unlike all the other students waiting for the chauffeur to pull up to the front doors, was attempting to dodge vehicles as I made my way to the office. If reaching the office was a task on its own, I was more than slightly concerned about the remainder of the day.

When I finally reached the front doors I realized that finding the office was easier said than done. The weren't a lot of students attending this school, but the size of the front foyer was at least the size of a mansion. What could they possibly need all this space for?

"Miss Fujioka Haruhi, I presume?" Said an older man from behind me. I turned around, immediately noting that he was far too old to be a student at this school, yet he didn't look like a teacher. He was dressed like... Well, like a butler.

"Yes, I'm Haruhi." I responded, surprised as to why this man knew my name, though not as surprised as when he bowed low and requested I follow him. Before I knew it he was walking away from the front of the school and towards a smaller glass building, causing me to chase after him.

"Excuse me, where are we going?" I asked the older man, still curious as to why he knew of me.

I recieved no response from the elderly man, though his pace may have slowed a tad so I didn't have to jog to keep up with him. I realized I didn't have anywhere better to go, nor did I know where I was supposed to be, so there seemed to be no problem following this man. At least he seemed to know where he was going.

When we finally reached the glass building the butler-look-alike pressed a small button that looked suspiciously like a doorbell, however it produced no sound. I was about to ask him what the button did when a little screen came to life next to the doorway.

The screen displayed a middle-aged man watering a set of colourful roses that seemed to engulf the room he was standing in. The man suddenly looked up and turned his attention to the screen, a smile forming.

"I have brought miss Fujioka Haruhi." Was all my guide said to the screen before turning on his heel and walking away.

"Ahh, wait-"

"Miss Fujioka, it's a pleasure to meet you." The man asked through the screen, still smiling as the doors to the garden opened, "Would you like to join me for a glass of tea?"

Again, I was more than confused at this point, but what the heck. When in Rome...

"Oh... thank you." Was all I said before entering the glass building. It was much warmer in the garden than it was outside, considering it was gradually cooling down as winter approached. I looked around, in hopes of locating the man whom I had been talking with through the screen, only to find that the whole garden was planted with roses. The flowers grew in all different colours, anywhere from red to blue, even yellow and green. I was too interested in the flowers to notice the man come up behind me.

"Miss Fujioka, it's a pleasure to finally meet you in person." Said the man with a large smile gracing his features.

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well." I bow, turning my eyes to the floor. When I stood up again, I realized there was another question that had yet to be asked, "I hope you'll excuse me, but I was wondering who you were." I couldn't help but be curious as to the identity of the man who sent a butler-look-alike to fetch me, then asked to have tea with me in a remote glass garden. I was only afraid he may be offended by the comment, but that quickly passed when he let out a joyful laugh.

"I didn't introduce myself, did I. My name is Suoh Yuzuru, I am the chairman of this school." The man before me was the chairman? But what business did the chairman have with me? "I'm here to say hello to the first student who received an educational scholarship to this school, and part way through the year at that. To be honest, we normally don't even consider scholarships, but when I saw the grades on your paper I had to make an exception." He let off a warm feeling, and a smile that was almost contagious.

"Of course, I also wanted to give you a rough overview of our school, but that can be discussed over tea." He said, and started to navigate the maze of roses. "So I take it you understand the basis of out school?" He asked over his shoulder as he dodged thorns left and right.

"Yes..." Was all I could say, as I was still attempting to grasp the situation.

"Then I can also assume that you understand many of our students are living in separate dorms, and that a few of the students are permitted to be transported to school. I assume you are going to be living in the dorms with the other students?" He asked, still navigating us through the roses.

"Yes, I am supposed to be living in the dorms." I said, quickly staring down at my feet. "Though... about the living fees..."

"The fees are all determined by the dorm manager, and that depends on the number of people in your dorm, and all of the electrical and food bills that need to be paid." He explained before turning around to look at me with a smile, "Though I wouldn't worry too much about them, I'm sure they won't be too high."

I let out a little sigh of relief, but most of me was questioning what the chairmans definition of 'too high' was.

"Ah, here we are miss Haruhi." The chairman said while pulling a chair out for me before seating himself across the table. "I hope you enjoy earl gray tea, it seems to be all I have left here."

How a pot of steaming hot tea was boiled and placed on the table when no one was in sight, was beyond me, but the chairman didn't seem to be as baffled as I was. So, instead of asking too many questions, I resolved to take a drink from the glass before me.

"Now, due to your sudden appearance at this school, we didn't have room prepared in the regular female dorm, the F dorm. Instead we have placed you in a smaller dorm father past the male dorm, also known as dorm M. You will be living in dorm R, a smaller dorm located here." He said while pointing at a map that had also mysteriously appeared on the table. Dorm R was located the farthest from the school, and the closest to the forest boundary. "Any questions?"

"Can I take this map with me?" I asked, it would definitely be useful for the next week of school.

The chairman simply laughed and folded the map, "Of course you can," He said, and handed me the folded paper.

"Ah, I almost forgot," He said after taking a quick sip of tea, "As of today you are in year 1, class A. I better be sending you off to class soon." He said after glancing at his watch, and suddenly stood up to walk over to the small metal panel located on the side of what appeared to be the only tree in the greenhouse. After typing in a quick code a females face appeared on a tiny screen above the panel.

"Excuse me, miss Juniper, but would you mind sending down the Hitachiin brothers?" He said to the woman who looked like she was a teacher.

The woman looked fairly confused at first, then it was like a lightbulb had been turned on, "Of course, Mr. Chairman, right away." She said, still looking a little skeptical, but she turned away from the camera anyways, "Twins, the chairman wishes to speak with you." She said to the space out of the camera's view, I was assuming it was a classroom.

The connection was cut, and the screen went black again.

"Well, miss Haruhi, shall we meet your fellow classmates?" The chairman said, seeming all to happy about this situation. Regardless, I followed him to the front of the garden, knowing I would get lost if I stayed behind.

When we finally reached the doors of the glass building there were two figures approaching us. They were of similar height and build, and even from such a distance you could distinguish their orange coloured hair. As they came closer I recalled what miss Juniper had said, she had called them 'Twins". This became surprisingly more accurate once I could make out more of their features, specifically their golden eyes.

The only thing that differentiated them physically was their hair parting, after that they were truly identical twins.

"Haruhi, I would like you to meet the Hitachiin brothers, Hikaru and Kaoru." The chairman said, before turning around and returning to the garden, "Best wishes!"

"Ah, wait-" Again people were just leaving me with strangers.

"So, your the new transfer student?" One of the twins said, slinking behind me.

"We were hoping you would be more... Foreign." Said the other, still standing in front of me.

"But what are we going to do about this?" The one from behind me said, wandering up beside me and ruffling my hair as I cringed away from the contact.

"That is quite a job you've done there, it's almost as short as a guys." The second twin said, moving forwards to lean on his brother.

I moved back a few steps, and attempted to turn the conversation away from my hairstyle, "My name is Fujioka Haruhi, it's a pleasure to meet you." I said, trying to be as polite as possible, though these boys were fraying my last nerve.

The two boys glanced at each other before doubling over with laughter, _"You're an odd one."_ The twins said in a sync that could only be achieved through years of practice.

"My name is Hikaru" Said the twin who had slunk behind me, his cheeks still tinted pink from laughter.

"And I'm Kaoru." Said the other twin, his voice a little kinder than his brothers.

_"We're the Hitachiin brothers."_ They chorused, the level of synchronization was almost erie.

One of the brothers suddenly reached over to his mirror and clung to his arm, "Hikaru, we need to hurry back or we are going to miss functions." He said shyly, a slight blush coating his features.

"Why don't we just skip class, Kaoru, this way I can have you all to myself." The other twin, apparently named Hikaru, stroked his finger along Kaorus chin while speaking in a low tone.

I stared at them, confused by their elusive conversation.

The twins stared at me, waiting for something to happen.

I stared blankly at them.

They stared blankly back.

I tilted my head to the side, an unasked question.

The twins shared a glance before turning to face me again.

_"You're an odd one."_

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><p><strong>AN: Okay, so I personally dislike this cause I am not fond of description chapters, they bore me to death... But it was needed for you guys to understand the base of the story (sorry to anyone who fell asleep!) So I don't know when the next chapter is coming out, but I already have part of it done, so hopefully it will be released soon! I'll try to fit in more writing when I'm not practicing, so please be patient with me. Thanks for reading till the end!**

**~Katz7777777**


	2. Meeting the Residents

**A/N: Kay, so this update should have been a lot sooner, but I suddenly lost motivation and decided to write a fic for FMA... I'm a pitiful excuse for an author. Though, this was still a relatively quick update, I don't know when I'll release chapter three cause I don't know how I want to start it. Either way, here is chapter 2! Thank you for continuing through to the next chapter :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own OHSHC or any of the characters.**

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><p>I was still trying to sort through all of the new information as I mindlessly followed the twins towards the oversized school.<p>

_I will be attending Ouran Academy, I am in class 1-A with the Hitachiin brothers, I am living in the dorms, specifically dorm R, the office is locat-_

"Hey Haruhi, you'll be living in the dorm F, right?" One brother asked, the one who had introduced himself as Kaoru.

"Lucky!" Whined the other brother, Hikaru, "You get to live so close to the school." The brothers seemed envious of my assumed dorm. Though dorm F and M are supposed to be about the same distance from the school, so I didn't know what they were complaining about.

"Actually," I interrupted their little debate about waking up early, "I am going to be living in Dorm R."

"What?" Both boys were so surprised they stopped dead, causing me to stumble over Kaoru's foot.

"What was that for?" I asked, angered by their sudden stupor, "What's so wrong with dorm R?"

The boys shared a quick glance before they answered, a small smile gracing their features.

"Dorm R is a little..."

"Different." Hikaru finished for his brother.

The twins shared another look before returning their gaze to me, each of them donning a grin that could be described as nothing other than evil. Their mischievous grins sent chills down my spine, and I realized I might be stepping into a deeper pool than I imagined.

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><p>"My name is Fujioka Haruhi, it's a pleasure to meet everyone."<p>

I was standing at the front of a classroom with approximately thirty pairs of eyes trained on me. To say I was self-conscious would be an understatement.

The day before I moved here some kid had stuck a piece of gum in my hair, so I decided to cut it out myself. My hair didn't even reach my shoulders now. I had also lost my contacts, so I was wearing glasses from a few years back. To be honest, I missed my contacts, I hate pushing my glasses up as they fall down my nose.

But my hair and glasses were probably the least of my worries. Ouran Academy didn't have a designated uniform, therefore everyone was wearing their casual clothes. Well, as casual as the rich dressed, meaning designer brands and expensive jewelry everywhere.

I, on the contrary, was dressed in a simple pair of track-pants and a sweater. Hey, comfort made for a better study environment.

Either way, I could feel the glares and snide comments coming from a mile away.

"Thank you miss Haruhi. Would you mind taking your seat at the back of the class?" The teacher asked with a large smile plastered on her face. It was so fake it almost hurt to look.

Regardless, I gathered my belongings and wandered to the back of the classroom. The designated seat was right between Hikaru and Kaoru, as if I didn't have enough on my plate.

"Well hello there Haruhi..." A sly grin slid across Hikarus features as he watched me sit down.

"Hope you enjoy the welcoming party." Kaorus expression was a mirror of his brothers.

"What par-" I didn't get to finish my question because streamers exploded all around my desk. I sat dumbfounded, staring at the strings littering the floor. I threw a questioning glance at the twins, but their attention was focused at the front of the room. Most of the girls in the class squealed in freight, however the reaction the twins were looking for came from the teacher.

Mrs. Juniper screamed in fear as she leaped backwards, connecting with the dirty chalkboard. A second squeal ensued as she leaped away from the offending object that had just coated her back in a white powder.

The class was completely quiet as the teacher sent a brief, yet harsh glare at the Hitachiin brothers before she excused herself to the washroom.

Seconds later the brothers shared a glance before doubling over in laughter.

"I think that was the best one yet!" Said Hikaru through labored breathing.

"Between that and the whoopee cushion!" Giggled Kaoru as he held on to his stomach.

I put my head down, pretending to be disappointed in their behavior, but I couldn't help it when a little smile broke through. Maybe they wouldn't be so bad after all.

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><p>"Haru-chan! Hurry up and sit down!" Said the boy who looked like he could be in elementary school.<p>

I tried to remember his name from the introductions given earlier, and while fifteen minutes was enough to memorize their faces, it wasn't enough to remember what they were called.

"Come on Haruhi, we'll lead you to your seat." I heard Hikaru say as a arm was slipped around my shoulder.

"Considering we were your friends first." Kaoru said, his arm following his brothers lead.

The boys pulled me over to the far side of the table, and situated me between the two of them. Before I could say anything against it, a blond haired boy pointed out what I had been trying to avoid since entering the cafeteria.

"Hey Haruhi, why did you bring your own lunch?" His simple question seemed to capture the attention of the whole table. I was relatively sure his name was Tamaki... something... but the twins had warned me about his slightly oblivious attitude. They also said that I should avoid him at all costs, though they wouldn't explain why.

"Do you really think a commoner can afford to waste her money on food such as this?" Said the dark haired boy wearing a thin pair of glasses. His name was Kyoya Ootori, the youngest son of the Ootori family. He had his clipboard flipped open and was taking notes. What he was taking note of was beyond me, but I had a suspicious feeling that it had to do with the money obsession the twins mentioned.

"It's okay Haru-chan, you can have some of mine!" Said the childish voice of the boy named Mitsukuni Haninozuka, also known as Honey. According to the Hitachiin brothers he was the head of the Martial Arts team here, though he normally skips practice to binge on cake.

I suddenly glanced down when a large hand was placing a cup of pudding in front of me before returning to his own meal. He held my gaze for a moment, with a ghost of a smile, before returning to his own meal.

"Thank you, sempai." Was all I could manage as I racked my brain for a name. Considering everyone else had been named, I was going to assume he was Takashi Morinozuka, informally known as Mori. Apparently Mori was Honeys cousin, and there was some backstory about him being a servant, but I forget what it was about. What I do remember being told was that he's the captain of the kendo team, and only skips practice when it has to do with Honey. That, and he doesn't talk too much.

"Hey Haruhi, will you open you bento already?" Asked Kaoru.

"We want to know what a commoners lunch looks like!" Hikaru said, leaning on my shoulder to get a better look.

"It's nothing special guys..." I said as I opened the box, revealing rice, sausages, eggs and a few random vegetables.

_"I guess commoners don't eat..." _The twins chorused, their expressions immediately turning to ones of pity.

"Here Haruhi, take some of my tuna!" Hikaru said as if he was offering food to a homeless man.

"No, take some of this steak!" Kaoru offered up his plate for emphasis.

"I would always be willing to offer you my lunch..." Kyoya stated as if there was something more to add. I decided to fill in the blanks for him.

"At a price, of course." I was staring directly at him, his expression emotionless until he let an erie smile cross his face.

"I see why you got in on a scholarship." He said before returning his attention to the black clipboard.

The rest of the table stared at me in awe before Tamaki broke the silence.

"Wow, Haruhi! That was amazing, no one has ever outwitted the dark prince before. Even I get sucked into his schemes! There was this one time when he wanted to make more money, and the easiest way to do that was to-" There was a word for his personality. Why couldn't I think of it? "-so of course I signed the contract. But the contract he had me sign was fake! He pretended to have me sign a contract for-" Insane? No, pestering maybe? "-and all of my favourite teddies were being sold on the internet! He put them up for auction on the web! I mean, I didn't now what I was signing-" Could it be...

"Ah!" I said, realizing the word I was looking for.

"So you agree Haruhi?" Tamaki asked, his expression lighting up.

"Annoying." Funny, it was such a simple word. I hate it when a word sticks to the tip of your tongue.

When I glanced up I realized that the blond haired boy wasn't in his seat anymore, and it took me a few seconds to realize he was sitting alone in a corner growing something out of the wall...

"Whoa, new attack!" Hikaru cheered.

"One word, you're powerful Haruhi." Kaoru said before exchanging a high-five with his brother.

The others only cast an amused glance towards the depressed teen before continuing with a different conversation for the remainder of lunch.

Maybe this new school wouldn't be too bad.

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><p>"Is this really the way to dorm R?" I asked. We had already been walking ten minutes since the end of school, and even after passing a pond, a forest, and a few fat cats, there was still no sight of the building.<p>

_"We're sure."_ They responded, continuing towards the invisible location.

We talked about random things on the way there, like how I got transferred here, what the chairman was like, and the number of times the twins had pranked Mrs. Juniper.

We were still mid-conversation about a glue and feather plan when a building suddenly came into view through the parted trees.

To be honest, my breath was taken away. The building was obviously old fashioned, though it had a very european feel to it. However, the part that stunned me the most was not the architecture, but the greenery surrounding it.

The whole building was engulfed in roses of various colours, anywhere from red to blue, or green to orange. The sight was picturesque.

I hadn't realized I was frozen until the twins called back over their shoulders telling me to hurry up. I walked up to the front door before turning around to thank the brothers.

"Thank you for going out of your way to bring me to this dorm, I guess I owe you one." I said.

The twins suddenly started laughing, and it took a few moments before they could control themselves enough to speak.

"You really didn't guess it by now?" Kaoru said, still smiling.

"We weren't going out of our way at all." Hikaru smiles as he produces a key.

_"We live in dorm R too."_

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><p><strong>AN: Well, that was highly predictable. And I needed to have Haruhi meet all of the other characters before I could continue, so this is yet another boring chapter... you people probably hate me by now. And chapter 3 will probably be released a week from now cause I tend to lose motivation a lot (this is why I write one-shots, no continuos motivation needed) and if anyone is interested in the FMA fic it may not be posted for a while cause I only finished half of it :P Thanks for reading till the end!**

**~Katz7777777**


	3. Papa, Mama and Antifans

**A/N: Ahaha...haha...ha yeah, sorry about this... This update came a lot later than I wanted it to, I wasn't expecting to have so much homework. I started a swimming crash course, then I started at my new school about a week ago (whoopee Transfer Student!) And my teachers are crazy, I had 6 tests the first week of school. Anyways, you people don't want to hear about my life, you would rather read the next part of this story :) Anyways, after two long weeks, here is Surviving Dorm R chapter 3!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the story OHSHC or the characters involved :P**

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><p>"Ha~Ru~Hi!" It took me a split second to recognize the voice, and I quickly dodged the attack from behind. I sidestepped, only to see a blond-haired blur fly past me and crash into the wall a few feet ahead. During the time he was trying to stand up I walked over to his side, offering a hand.<p>

"Haruhi~!" Tamaki said as he flung himself at me once again, this time successfully latching onto my neck, "Why have you been avoiding papa!" He seemed to have taken a habit of calling himself papa, though how Kyoya ended up being the mother... Well, that's between them. All I remember is the debate over rooming...

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><p><em>"Hey, can anyone show me to my room?" I asked, standing in the middle of the hall as the twins were battling Tamaki on some game console, all in hopes of not having to wash the dishes.<em>

_During the time, I was still shocked about the twins sudden announcement that they were living in dorm R too, so I had stood motionless outside the building for a few minutes. Eventually, realization hit me._

_I was living with Hikaru and Kaoru._

_"Ah" Kaoru said, still waiting for Hikaru to pass off the controller for his turn to play, "Why don't you just use my old room?"_

_"Good idea, considering you only sleep in my room anymore." Hikaru said, pausing the game to follow the conversation._

_"But that place is disgusting! It hasn't been cleaned since the beginning of the year!" Tamaki said, pouting since Hikaru paused right when he though he finally had an advantage over the twins, "Why don't you room with me Haruhi~!" He tried to leap at me, his first (and definitely not last) display of attachment to clinging._

_This was also when I learned to dodge him._

_"Pervert" I said to the crippled lump on the floor._

_Within seconds there were mushrooms growing in the previously spotless corner._

_"Well, I guess we could let her... But wouldn't it be more fun to sleep with us? Ha-Ru-Hi?" Kaoru had managed to sneak up behind me during Tamaki's attack, and was now breathing down my neck._

_"We'll have lots~ of fun, promise." Hikaru said in a sultry voice, dragging a finger under my chin._

_I needed a way out of this... asap._

_"No! I won't allow my precious girl to be contaminated by you little devils!" Tamaki yelled, finally drawn out of his little fungi corner, "Right Kyoya?"_

_The dark-haired male had been sitting in the opposing room, listening to the whole conversation. He took a glance up from his clipboard only to scoff Tamaki before returning to his work. He didn't care as long as the bills were paid._

_"And why not Tamaki?" Kaoru said, having wrapped his arms comfortably around my shoulders._

_"Would you rather her sleep with you?" Hikaru questioned._

_"_Pervert_." The twins grinned as their attack obviously hit home when the number of mushrooms doubled. At least until Tamaki had his last outburst._

_"I will not let my daughter be tainted by the likes of you!" His eyes were teary, and he seemed to really mean it. However, this didn't convey to the twins._

_"Y-You? Your daughter?" Hikaru was on the floor, tears of laughter freely flowing down his face._

_"What are you, her father?" Kaoru was right beside his brother, doubling over from pain._

_Tamaki's face was boiling red, but he couldn't let the twins get the better of him, "She's my daughter! And I won't hand her over!"_

_"T-T-Then who's the m-mother?" Kaoru giggled, trying to talk while catching his breath._

_Tamaki seemed utterly surprised by the question, like the answer should have been obvious, "Kyoya of course."_

_The twins froze, and shared a glance that could only be called twin-telepathy. In sync, the boys were back on the floor, rolling with laughter._

_The laughter didn't last long, as the sharp sound of metal colliding with a wall could be heard throughout the dorm. The twins turned to see a scared blonde sitting against the wall, a pencil lodged not two inches from his face._

_"What was that, Tamaki?" A dark aura was emanating from the opposing room, and the owner was none other than the new 'mother' of the house._

_"Eh?" The scared teen responded, still frozen on the floor, "But I need my wife! And besides you promised me Kyoya..." This was about when I realized that he really did just pull that confidence from thin air._

_"And just what did I promise you?" Kyoya asked, his voice heavily laced with anger._

_At this, Tamaki's previously innocent manner turned into an ever so slightly evil smirk, "I'll do whatever you want, Tamaki-Sam-" Tamaki's sly voice was cut off when a very sharp pencil was whipped at his head, just skimming the top of his hair._

_"Shut up." Was all Kyoya said before he collected his books and left for what I was presuming to be his room. However, I would have sworn that his face was tinted red. But I could have been imagining things..._

_"Mother! Don't leave me alone with these children!" Tamaki squealed as he chased after his newly deemed wife._

_The twins, now bored with the older boys actions, returned their attention to me._

_"Haruhi, what are you doing?"_

_I looked up, turning my attention to the boys before me before smiling._

_"Watching." I said, holding up a bag of half-eaten popcorn._

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><p>"Tamaki, let go." I said, hoping the heavy object attached to my neck would release at the command.<p>

"But Haruhi!" Instead I got puppy eyes.

"Pervert" One word from the twins sent Tamaki back to his mushroom corner. He seemed to have quite the collection growing.

I turned to face the Hitachiin brothers who had entered the room, throwing a smile of thanks at them. "What're you guys up to?"

"Eating." Kaoru responded, Hikaru raised the bag of cookies to emphasize the point.

"But we can always share, Haruhi~" There was a hint of trouble in his voice, but I didn't have long to debate it as Hikaru attacked me with the small confection. He easily slipped the cookie into my mouth, and backed off as if he had nothing planned.

I should have known better.

The moment I started to bite Hikaru swooped in, biting half of the cookie from my mouth. I backed up, startled by the sudden closeness, but he was gone as soon as he had approached.

"You have your own, you know." I said feigning anger, trying not to let the light blush show through.

"Ah!" Kaoru said, suddenly bringing his face within a centimeter of mine, "Crumbs..." He whispered, before dragging his tongue precariously close to my mouth.

This time it took all of my will power not to blush, and I hoped that neither of the boys noticed my voice waver when I spoke. "You could have just told me." I was being stared at by the twins, their mouths curved into mischievous grins.

"Nooo! Not my Haru-"

"Annoying." The crash was audible through the dorm when the blonde teen fell to the floor from the twins statement. I couldn't help but smile a little.

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><p>One of the things I noticed on the first day was the status of dorm R. The students had given it many nicknames, the 'Rose' dorm, the 'Host' dorm, and for some, the 'Reject' dorm. The girls in the school seemed to have come to the conclusion that all of the boys in the dorm were suitable host material, and I guess based on appearance alone it would be appropriate.<p>

Still, I don't see how a male teenager who has to sleep with his teddy bear, and seems to want to be called daddy, could ever be host material.

But because of their looks and attitude, they were rejected from the M dorm, and had to be transfered to the R dorm. Apparently Tamaki's fans almost broke down the door just to see him, and Kyoya ran the dorm manager broke within a week of entering first year. And with Honeys looks, the other boys in the dorms would not leave him alone, which didn't sit too well with Mori. The twins, of course, were infamous for their pranks on both teachers and students, and were eventually kicked out of the dorm. Somehow, none of this surprises me.

Thus, dorm R was grouped together. That is, until I came here.

I am the only current female resident of dorm R. Apparently there is another girl named Renji who lives with us, but she was visiting her parents in Paris about an arranged marriage with a cartoon character.

So, while Renji is gone, I am the only female resident, and having a female live in the 'host' dorm was not exactly an ideal situation for their fangirls. Therefore, I became their next target.

It's been a week since I first joined, but it seems that one week was all that was needed for me to form a huge anti-fan club. And by huge, I mean the entire female population huge. Everyone.

Though at the time, they weren't doing anything except the occasional glare or foul language thrown my way. The only problem with girls is that anger quickly escalates, and anger can make people to do unthinkable things.

This is definitely one of them.

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><p>I can honestly say I like mondays. While getting up early doesn't exactly excite me, the concept of going to school to learn makes the day enjoyable.<p>

Though, regardless of what you do, a monday is a monday, and I was tired like always.

"Haruhi!" Hikaru ran up behind me, and tackled me into a back-hug that was strong enough to nearly knock me over.

"Morning Hikaru..." I yawned out, eyes searching for his younger brother, "Where's Kaoru?" Considering they are almost never apart, I got curious.

"He has chemistry first, remember? I thought you were supposed to be the smart one!" He laughed, obviously suppressing the urge to yawn.

"It's morning." I stated as if that explained everything. In my opinion, it did.

"What does the time of day hav-" He suddenly cut off his sentence, and his gaze turned skyward with a look of fear.

I didn't even have time to ask what he was doing before I was shoved out of the way.

"Watch Out!" Was all I heard before I crashed to the ground, landing roughly on the concrete. A fraction of a second later I heard a noise similar to breaking glass, and felt a stabbing pain in both my leg and my head.

I grudgingly pulled myself up to get a better look at the scene around me, and was more than slightly stunned. My feet were surrounded by what looked to be a few broken planters, as well as a few shards of glass.

I turned my gaze frantically looking for Hikaru, praying that he wasn't injured. Luckily he was only sitting a few feet away from me, looking stunned but unharmed.

It took Hikaru a second to break from his stupor, but when he came to he turned to face me. "Haruhi! Are you okay?" His expression turned from one of questioning to one of fear.

"Yeah..." I responded, feeling a little bit dizzy. My head felt warm, like I had just dunked myself in a bucket of hot water. But water is thin, this liquid was thick and sticky. Something was wrong.

I reached up to touch the thick liquid, and pulled my hand down to get a better look. Blood.

Ah, so that's why...

"Haruhi! Wait, Haru..." Everything went black.

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry Haruhi! But don't worry, it's for the sake of your love life! So yeah, I might be writing the next chapter in Hikarus POV cause then we can see what he's thinking about Haruhi :) I might even throw a little Kaoru POV, cause Kaoru is actually my favourite of the twins! But on my full list Kaoru comes second to Mori :P Anyways, if you read the AN at the very first chapter of this story, you would know I have no set update schedule, so I'm hoping to get the next chapter out a little faster than this one, but sadly I can't make any promises. Wish me luck, I'll need it! And thanks for reading till the end!**

**~Katz7777777**


	4. Love and Pain

**A/N: Wow, there must be something wrong with me, posting two chapters within 24 hours of each other... The apocalypse is coming :P Anyways, here is chapter 4! To be honest, this chapter is a little depressing, I guess I was in a depressed mood when I wrote it. And to **_da-putten-ninja_ **yay, Hikaru and Kaoru POVs! **_AcidRain14_ **haha, Haruhi would totally be like that :) Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own OHSHC or any of the characters involved :)**

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><p><span>Hikaru POV<span>

It was almost like the world had crashed down around me. I sat frozen, confused by the events that had just transpired. Here I was, sitting in a pile of glass and rubble that someone had thrown from a classroom window.

Someone that wanted to hurt Haruhi.

Wait! Where was Haruhi?

My head shot up, and turned around frantically in search of my female companion. I released a quick sigh when I noticed her sitting a few feet away, staring at me. "Haruhi, are you okay?"

I opened my mouth to say something more before I froze for the second time that day.

Blood.

Haruhi's dark hair was matted with the substance, and it had already begun to flow down her neck and leech into her clothes.

"Yeah..." Was the weak response I got as she lifted her hand to feel her head.

There was too much blood.

"Haruhi! Wait, Haruhi! Listen to me, can you hear me?" I was shocked and angered, but mostly, I was scared. I dragged myself off the ground and pulled over to her side. "Haruhi, stay awake, please! Please, stay with me!"

It was no use, she had fallen over, and was lying on the ground unconscious.

I couldn't move, I was too frightened. People die from major blood loss. There was a lot of blood. Haruhi could die. Haruhi could-

"Hikaru!" The familiar voice called me from my morbid thoughts, and I turned around to find my twin running towards us. "Hikaru, what happened?"

My voice failed me, and instead I felt tears gather in the corner of my eyes. It would be okay, Kaoru would help. Kaoru would definitely help.

"Kao..." I tried to call to my brother, but my voice failed, tears stinging my eyes.

Kaoru slowed as he approached, suddenly realizing the scene laid out before him. But he only faltered a moment, and quickly rushed to my side. Or so I thought he would.

Kaoru kneeled next to Haruhi, quickly locating the source of the bleeding and applying pressure with his hands.

"Hikaru, call for help!" Kaoru was scared, his voice shook, but he still managed to throw me his cell phone.

I sat staring at the device until Kaoru yelled at me, "Quickly!" I called the only person I knew could help.

"What?" The glasses-wearing teen was frustrated, but where I normally would have cringed away from the phone I just spilled everything to the older male.

"Haruhi was walking...A pot...From window...Blood...Not waking up..." I was a mess, I couldn't even manage to pull together a full sentence. But that didn't seem to matter, Kyoya managed to put two and two together.

"Where are you?" All anger from before had disappeared.

"South building." Was all I managed, trying to hold back the sobs.

"Wait there." He had hung up on me, leaving me to wonder just what he planned to do.

"Kyoya!" I yelled at the dead line, hoping to get some response from him. I sat back, defeated when nothing happened.

Kaoru turned to face me, his face still displaying an overwhelming sense of fear, but there was an obvious question being asked. 'What did he say?'

"He said to wait." My voice was still wavering, and every time I spoke the control I had over my emotions lessened a little more. Kaoru just nodded, like that explained everything, and turned his focus back to Haruhi.

Kaoru had always been the calmer of the two of us. He could asses and react to a situation within seconds of it occurring, and keep a calm demeanor through anything. I, on the contrary, am a little more scatter-brained. I didn't know what to do, I didn't know how to help. I was useless, dammit.

I was pulled from my thoughts when the sound of a propellor could be heard from above. I turned my gaze skyward to see the large helicopter trying to find an appropriate location to land. The aircraft quickly descended, paramedics running out before it even touched the ground.

This was about the time my brain started to fuzz over. People were running all around me, some with medical supplies, others with the stretcher. Some even tried to talk to me, though I was too focused on Haruhi to respond. I was sitting in a stupor until they tried to take her away.

"I'm going too." I said confidently, this was my fault and I wasn't going to let her out of my sight.

The paramedics seemed confused at first, but quickly piled me and my brother onto the aircraft before slamming the door and taking off.

I don't know how long we sat in that confined space, waiting patiently for the helicopter to land at the hospital. Through the whole trip Haruhi was being tended to, a band-aid here, a roll of gauze there, and a pile of blood collected on the floor. Just staring at the blood made my stomach drop to the floor, and was enough to make me gag.

I had to turn to look out the small window in hopes of composing myself, though I didn't have the time because we landed moments later.

There were doctors waiting for her as soon as we landed, and they rushed her into an emergency room. I tried to follow after her, but my path was quickly blocked by the brains of the operation.

"Move." Was all I said, trying to send my best glare at him. Apparently, my efforts were in vain, because Kyoya didn't move an inch.

"Kaoru." He said, looking over me, "Go with Hikaru to the other emergency room, and see that he is tended to." And with that Kyoya followed the doctors carrying Haruhi.

"Hey, wait-" I was cut off when I got flanked by two larger men, looking more like security than doctors. Each took an arm, and started directing me to the other prepared room. I understood why Kyoya sent these two, no matter how hard I struggled they wouldn't budge.

"Hey, where are you taking Haruhi? What's going to happen?" I was frustrated, tired and worried. I was almost out of emotion for the day.

"Hika, they will take care of her. You don't need to worry." Kaoru only called me 'Hika' when I needed to calm down, but I was having a hard time being calm when Haruhi could have been dying! "Hika, calm down."

Kaoru came up between the guard and me, and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. I would have been lying if I said I didn't feel any better, it was comforting knowing Kaoru was there with me.

"We're here." The guards said, before opening the door and depositing my brother and I into the clean, white room. I turned around to try the door, but I heard a soft click implying that it was locked. Kyoya was just too damned detailed.

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><p><span>Kaoru POV<span>

I spent the next three hours watching my brother fight against every bandage, only to tire into submission. He had a long day, though I guess I went through the same thing.

On my way to class I had noticed a stray piece of paper, and decided to snatch it before it flew away. Curious, I decided to read the note, only to throw it on the ground a moment later as I raced to the south building.

South Building, 7:30 am, Greenhouse plants, Get Haruhi

The note was vague, but after watching the glares from the girls the past few days, it was relatively obvious that they intended to do. I ran hoping that I wasn't too late. Turns out I was.

I saw the pool of blood under Haruhi, and my heart almost stopped. I was too late. I had raced to her side, momentarily forgetting my twin frozen next to me. I was scared. The damage became more obvious once I got a close look at it, as the gash on her head was flowing with the red liquid. I did the only thing I could think of, and covered he wound with my hands. I vaguely remember throwing a phone at Hikaru, and something about having to wait for Kyoya.

We had to wait. We had to sit here, with one of our best friends bleeding all over the floor, and wait. My patience severely waned.

But I couldn't let Hikaru know how worried I was. He looked like he was blaming himself, and he was obviously suppressing a fountain of tears. I had to be the calm brother he knew. But why was it so damn hard?

I couldn't have been more content when the helicopter landed, and the paramedics immediately took over. But then Hikaru stated that he wanted to go with Haruhi.

It became painfully obvious that he was blaming himself for this. He wanted to sound confident, but the tears in his eyes and the waver in his voice gave everything away.

But the medics took him with them, and I went because there was no way I was leaving my unstable brother at a hospital in this state. Or at least that's I told myself.

When we arrived I followed Kyoya's instructions, and followed Hikaru to the emergency room. He was stressed, and he was fighting. I could see my brother trying to pull away from the guards, but he didn't stand a chance. Not only was Hikaru half of their weight, he was not stable right now, making him venerable and weak.

"Hika, they will take care of her. You don't need to worry." I knew calling him his childhood nickname would calm him a little, but apparently not enough because he kept struggling, "Hika, calm down."

I knew he needed comfort, he needed it almost as much as I did, so I did what I could. I slipped between him and the guard, placing a hand on his shoulder, letting him know that it was okay. He seemed to relax a little.

Once we were locked in the room Hikaru fought the door with everything he had, but the doctor managed to pin and strap him to the table.

The bandaging took much longer then it should have, considering most of his cuts were just shallow wounds from the glass, but he wouldn't calm down even when I was holding his hand.

After finally submitting to the treatment, the doctor let him free of the bed, though we were still not permitted to leave the room.

After a few minutes of just lying there Hikaru sat up, and stared at me. I accepted the invitation, and sat down beside him. He was tired from all of the emotions, all of the pent up feelings. I decided to be strong for a little longer, and pulled my twins head onto my shoulder.

"It's okay, let it out." I whispered to him, hoping that I wouldn't break my own dam while I was at it.

Hikaru couldn't hold it back any longer, and suddenly clung to my shirt, bawling. I rubbed my hand in circles on his back, a comforting motion we learned as kids. We stayed like that for longer than I can remember, though eventually his sobs slowed to a stop.

"Hikaru?" I asked quietly, and received no response. He had cried himself to sleep.

I sighed as I laid my brother fully on the bed, making sure to pull the blanket up.

I finally broke down the wall I had been building since this morning, and all of the emotions cascaded over me in a tidal wave. I felt the tears collect in the corner of my eye, and I wiped them away before they could fall.

I stared over at my brother, remembering the realization I had come to a few days ago. Hikaru had fallen for Haruhi. The way he would get nervous around her, or the way he considered her to be one of us, they were all telltale signs. He had let her into our world without a second question, and I had done the same.

Hikaru just hadn't noticed how important Haruhi had become to him, the way her choices seemed to affect everything he did. Like today, Hikaru would never have acted like that if it had been any other girl. He may have been worried, and maybe scared, but he never would have cried. Never.

Though I can't say I am not guilty of this as well. Tears were still collecting, threatening to flow freely.

I had never felt so worried about a person in my life, when I saw Haruhi bleeding I though I would have a heart attack. I had actually ignored my brother to be by her side.

I had never felt such an ache in my chest, it felt like my heart was being stabbed again and again. Today made me realize just how willing I was to lay my life down for the girl I had met only a week ago. It scared me that I was so infatuated with this girl that I would even forget my own twin. It scared me that I had fallen so deep that I probably wouldn't be able to climb out again.

It scared me that I had fallen in love with Haruhi.

The dam finally broke, and I started sobbing next to my older brother.

I don't recall falling asleep that day.

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><p><strong>AN: Well, that left things on a bad note, sorry to anyone who got depressed after that (I felt bad just prof reading it) Argh, I hate hurting the twins like this, they should be all happy-go-lucky! Anyways, while this update was really fast, I can't promise anything about next time. I really am just an impulsive writer :P And to be honest, I don't really like my writing style when writing this story (though this chapter may be the best yet) so writing tends to take a little longer cause I need to edit everything. Anyways, the next post should be happier, and hopefully Hikaru will realize his love ;) Thanks for reading till the end!**

**~Katz7777777**


	5. Waking Up

**A/N: *Logs on, quickly posts story, logs off, shuts down computer and runs away from hatred comments* I haven't posted in about 2 months, and I'm Really Really Sorry! I have had no inspiration, and between all of the new sports and new school, I have had no time to get over this writers block. But FINALLY I got it written, and I debated posting yesterday, but it would only have been half done, and you guys really don't deserve that! So, here is chapter 5 (Finally)!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own OHSHC or any of the characters mentioned in this story**

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><p>The light scorched my eyes as I tried to open them, and I quickly flung my arm over my face as I groaned in discomfort. Why the hell was it so bright in my room, and since when did it smell so funny?<p>

Wait... This smell... It couldn't be?

I opened my eyes, slower this time in hopes of adjusting to the radiance of the white room. When I finally managed to open my eyes without having to shield them with a hand, I took a glance around the pristine space, only to realize that I had been right.

I was in a hospital.

I sighed as I closed my eyes and readjusted my position on the bed. Now, just how the hell did I end up here?

I remembered walking to class with Hikaru, who had suddenly panicked, and he yelled... something... at me. I couldn't really remember what happened, but I remember something hitting my head. Then there was pain, and blood, and...black?

Oh, that explained it, I must have gone unconscious.

But still, the hospital? How did I end up... Right, Kyoya's parents owned a hospital, didn't they. I was so going to owe him for this.

Once I had the what, where and why answered, I still had two more questions, and I wasn't going to get anything done from here.

I took a deep breath as I prepared myself to sit upright, knowing that I would get severely lightheaded. Was I ever right.

I had used my arms to push myself off the clean white bed, and immediately regretted doing so. My vision flashed white, and my head felt like someone was enjoying a game of 'whack a mole'.

I immediately collapsed back into the sheets, holding my head in agony. Who would have thought a pot would cause so much damage.

I laid there for a few more minutes until the pounding headache was reduced to a dull throb, and I decided to try again. I took it a little slower this time, resting on my elbows to begin with, and progressing towards sitting up straight.

After finally getting myself upright I decided I should attempt the next hurdle, standing. After a deep breath and a few stumbles I had made my way to the door, and slipped out into the corridor.

I wandered for a bit, avoiding the chatting nurses and doctors scrambling around the facility in hopes of staying inconspicuous. I wanted answers, and I couldn't get any from the inside of a room.

I finally stumbled upon the entrance of the hospital, and tried to judge the time of day. The sun was just over the horizon, so it was either early morning or evening. I didn't have the patience to wait for it to move, so I wandered over to the front desk.

"Excuse me." I tried speaking to the woman sitting just behind the desk stating 'Emergency Care', but she seemed preoccupied by the plethora of paper files behind the desk, and the random assortment of colours and numbers on the side.

I tried a few more times before giving up, and walking to one of the other people waiting in the sitting area.

"Um, excuse me sir, would you happen to know the time and date?" I asked the tall man before me, the glasses resting upon the bridge of his nose sliding down as he glanced at me.

"6:47 am, thursday April 11th." He responded, returning his attention to his book.

"Thank you very much." I said while bowing respectfully.

I transferred here March 21st, and there was a week before the accident, so the accident happened on the 28th. But then, I've been asleep for... 14 days?

I couldn't believe it, 14 days was way too many! Isn't that similar to a coma or something? I sighed, and turned around to walk away before I was stopped by a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to find that the reading man had ceased my movement.

"You may want to get changed, they will catch you when you are wearing hospital clothing." He said, a ghost of a smile adorning his features.

I glanced down at the blue dress-like thing, and realized that he was right. I was about to thank him when an announcement came over the speakers.

"Excuse me, we have a very important announcement to make, I would like to request that-"

Something crashed in the announcement room, and the sound of yelling could be heard before a recognizable voice took over the speakers.

"HARUHI! Where are you, my daughter? Daddy is worried, come back, don't run away! Haruhi, don't worry, daddy it here, he'll mak-" Tamakis' voice was abruptly cut off, and a squeal of pain could be heard.

"My apologies for that, however the matter is still urgent," Kyoya's voice rang through the halls, and I was assuming he pulled Tamaki away by the ear in order to get access to the microphone, "We are looking for a female named Haruhi Fujioka, she has short brown hair, brown eyes, and is attempting to escape hospital care. If you see someone with her description, please report them to the nearest security officer or nurse. Thank you, that is all."

"Too late." The man next to me muttered, and returned all of his attention to the paperback in his hands.

I froze, and turned to find all eyes on me. There was no running from this one.

* * *

><p>After being led to my room by two very large guards, I was sitting in bed waiting for my traitorous friends to come meet me. I tried escaping again, but the men were standing guard at the door. I was trapped.<p>

I was just about to lay down when I heard a crash or metal instruments from the hall. I sat up, expecting the mountain of complaints and the over-excited teen that would follow.

The door to the room burst open, and a flash of blonde hair was all I saw before I was embraced in a bone-crushing hug. I tried to grunt, or make some recognizable noise, but nothing came out. Tamaki was truly killing me this time.

"Tamaki, I do believe you are crushing her trachea." Kyoya bluntly stated from the opposing side of the room. Within milliseconds I could breath again, though the worried blonde didn't leave the edge of the bed.

"Haruhi! I'm so glad you're awake! How are you, does anything hurt, should you be sitting up? And why did you escape, where were you running to? We were looking for you forever! And the hospital man got mad at me, and then the announcement guy wouldn't let me talk, so I had to steal the microphone from him to get to you. Did you hear me? I'm so glad they found you, I don't know what we would do without you HARUHI!"

The hyperactive teen was starting to give me a headache, so I used my surefire artillery.

"Annoying."

Tamaki finally shut up, and was sitting in a corner. I rubbed my temples in frustration, and looked up to find the remainder of my dorm standing around the bed.

"Haru-chan! You're awake! I brought cake, but I got hungry, so I hope you don't mind eating half!" Honey was as happy as ever, and his stuffed bunny was coated with chocolate icing. Mori would probably have to clean that later.

"That's okay Honey, you can have the remaining cake. I'm not too hungry." I smiled at him before acknowledging Mori with a nod.

"Thanks Haru-chan!" I was pulled into yet another crushing hug before Hunny pulled away looking a little sad, "Haru-chan, we have to go to school today, but I'll be back to see you after class! Stay in the hospital this time!"

I smiled at the older male, and simply nodded my head. It was a thursday after all, and they needed to get good marks for their upcoming university exams.

"However, the first years have the day off, so you don't have to go to school today."

It was almost like Kyoya could read minds when he shot down my initial response to the word school. I frowned in disappointment, but I realized they wouldn't let me leave the hospital anyways.

"HARUHI! Daddy want's to stay, but mommy is making him go to school," Tamaki said, recovering from his depression in order to glare at Kyoya, "But I'll be back as soon as I can! Get better, and stay here this time!"

I sighed and shook my head at his antics, but I still waved goodbye as the three boys voluntarily left the room, along with a Tamaki being pulled by his ear.

It was only then I noticed the twins sitting on the windowsill, staring outside at the forest you could see through the window. Seeing them like this, I could understand why they appeared so similar, yet so different at the same time. It still was, and always would be easy for me to tell the two of them apart.

"You guys don't have to sit and watch me all day, you should enjoy your day off." I state, questioning why the two pranksters are still waiting in a boring hospital.

Kaoru turned away from the window first, and a look of regret fleeted across his face, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. I easily could have imagined it.

"We want to keep you company, Haruhi. " Kaoru said, a small smile gracing his features.

"But you don't hav-"

"Yes we do." This time it was Hikaru, who still hadn't turned around to face me. He spoke firmly, yet softly as to not disturb anyone else.

He turned around, emotions completely unveiled. While Kaoru had an incredibly ability to quickly cover up his emotions, Hikaru had never received that trait. The pain, regret and fear were all written on his face as if someone used permanent marker.

I sighed, and smiled that they were so worried about me, "Thank you guys, but I'm all better now. You don't need to worry, take your day off and go play some video games." I tried to sound casual, but I was suppressing this odd bubbly feeling in my stomach. I wondered if I was still sick with something.

The brothers shared a knowing glance, the kind that only family members can have. The next thing I knew I was being crushed by two sets of limbs, with a twin on each side of me.

"I'm glad you're awake, Haruhi." Hikaru whispered in my ear, causing the bubbles in my stomach to resurface.

I should really get that checked out.

Kaoru only nuzzled his head into the crook of my neck, and decided he was content there.

"Alright, thanks for the concern guys, but I'm awake now. You can let go." I was happy that they were happy, but I was being crushed.

"_No_." Was the simultaneous response. That, and the increased tightness of their hugs.

I sighed, this was going to be a long, painful and flattening day.

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><p><strong>AN: Okay, so I understand if you think this chapter is total crap, cause I am posting this at 1am (even though I am supposed to swim at 6 tomorrow morning...) And I apologize again for the delay. I haven't written any fanfiction in at least a month, so my writing is totally off, and my ideas are being pulled from a hat in hopes that something good will come up. So, I'm sorry to anyone who is disappointed, I will work so much harder for chapter 6! Thanks for reading 'til the end!**

**~Katz7777777**


	6. A Walk in the Park

**A/N: Merry Christmas :)**

**Please don't hate me! I am so so so sorry! It's been about 2 months since I last posted a chapter for this, and I am so sorry I didn't update until now! I've had no motivation to write this story at all, and every time I got a review I thought 'hey, I should get started on that chapter', but when I started writing it turned out like crap... even this chapter isn't up to normal standards, so I'm really sorry if it sucks! I tried to make it longer than normal too, so I hope you like it! (Really hopes because she doesn't want her heart eaten out by angry subscribers)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own OHSHC or any of the characters mentioned in this story**

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><p>"Haruhi... Wake up..." The voice called in an attempt to raise me from my slumber, "Haruuuuhiii"<p>

The whining persisted for another few minutes until I finally gave in and rolled over to look at the overly bored twins. "What?" I still wasn't happy about being woken up.

"Haruhi, we wanna do something fun. Isn't there anything to do in this hospital?" Hikaru asked, trying his best Tamaki pout. To no avail of course.

"If that's all you woke me up for, I'm going back to sleep." I groaned before rolling back into the alluring sheets. Funny, I hadn't been too tired earlier...

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><p><em>"Guys, let go." I growled at the boys who had me pinned beneath their tangle of limbs.<em>

_ "_No._" They responded, curling tighter to me._

_ "Hikaru... Kaoru..." I tried whining, only to receive silence as a response. I sighed, frustrated at the stubbornness that was the Hitachiin twins. But, being just as stubborn I knew this wasn't going to get me anywhere, so I gradually let myself relax into the embrace of the brothers around me._

_ The twins seemed to sense my submission, as their death-grip released a little, and I was given a little more room to breath. However, their relaxed state didn't give me the freedom I now yearned for._

_ "Guys..." I muttered, hoping that I would get a comprehendible response this time. I got a response, but not the one I was looking for._

_ The twins were fast asleep. And snoring._

_ I sighed for the second time that day, and squirmed around in an attempt to free myself. It seems that even in their sleep the brothers think alike, as they decided to tighten their grip the moment I almost escaped._

_ I gave in, there was no way to get away from them, I might as well join them._

_ I tried to relax myself amongst the synchronized breathing and pulses that seemed to vibrate my very being. They really were so similar and so different at the same time._

_ I guess you could say that Hikaru is a little bit meaner, but it could also be that he is a little more blunt than his twin. And Kaoru is a little more considerate, and notices his surroundings better._

_ They really are two different people, so it would always confuse me when people mixed the two of them up._

_ I guess you could confuse them for their common looks, dislikes and loves. I remember Kaoru telling me that he and Hikaru would always love the same things, but I almost missed the sad smile that followed the statement._

_ It made me wonder what Kaoru knew that Hikaru didn't, but it couldn't have been anything to important, could it?_

* * *

><p>"Haruhi... please get up?" The older of the twins whispered into my ear, causing shivers to race up my spine.<p>

"Please, for us?" The younger asked, claiming my other ear and yet another set of shivers.

"Mhhh, fine, I'm up..." I muttered, wiping my sleepy eyes with the heel of my hand.

I sat up and took a glance around the room only to notice something was missing from this set-up. All of the sheets were missing.

"Guys, what happened to the..." I didn't get to finish my question before I saw the tangle of white cloth attached to the edge of my bed, and leading out the now open window. "You are not going to-"

"Yes we are, and you're coming with us." Hikaru answered without even glancing at me, too absorbed in ensuring the knot would hold our weight.

"Don't worry Haruhi, we'll be fine." The younger twin told me from the other side of the room as he locked the door.

"You guys, we really shouldn't be-"

"Come on Haruhi, the hospital is SO boring! Can't we just leave for a little while? We even brought you clothes so that you don't have to leave in that drab hospital gown. Please? For us?" The older brother pleaded with me from the open window, practically begging me with that look in his eyes.

"But-"

"Please Haruhi?" Kaoru asked as he wrapped both arms around my neck, leaning down so that his face was mere inches from mine, a mischievous look clear in his eyes.

Dammit.

"Fine..." I muttered, turning my face away from the incredibly close twin before me.

A vibrant smile broke across both of the brothers faces as they heard my response.

"Thank you Haruhi! We left your clothes in the washroom, so you can change there while we test the sheets." Kaoru said before embracing me and rushing over to the window to help his brother rappel down the wall.

I sighed, but stood up and wandered into the washroom to look for the clothes they supposedly brought. There was a pink bag on the floor that I was assuming was what they prepared for today. The only problem was that I hadn't left my room unlocked, and I doubt Kyoya would have agreed to let them in considering their plans, so where did they get the clothes?

I opened the bag and immediately got my answer. No way in hell was I wearing that... thing.

Before me was a designer pink sundress, white sandals and an assortment of hairpins. They were insane if they though I was going out in public dressed like this, let alone rappelling down a wall.

But I had promised them I would go, and I can't go back on that deal.

That's when I remembered that my school bag had been brought here along with my gym clothes. I quickly changed into the outfit arranged for me, and walked into the now abandoned bedroom.

"Haruhi, you ready?" A voice asked from the window, before a tired looking Hikaru pulled himself onto the window ledge.

"Yup." I responded, smiling as I approached the older twin.

"Then let's get go..." The latter part of the brothers sentence fell off as he looked up to glance at me. A look of amazement crossed his features before it was clouded with... something else. But regardless of that second emotion, his features turned bright red as he glanced away in an attempt to cover the vibrant blush.

"Hikaru, are you okay? Are you sick?" I asked, genuinely curious as to whether or not the twin had a fever.

"Ahh, I'm fine..." He muttered, not daring another glance in my direction, "You want to go down first?"

"Yup, sure." I said, and was about to pull myself over the ledge until Hikaru caught my arm and stopped me from starting my decent, "What?"

"Ahh... you... dress... rope..." His eyes pleaded with me to understand the concept he was trying to get across from his fractured sentence. Luckily I had already thought this through, and prepared myself.

"Don't worry." I said, pulling down my rolled up sweatpants I had put on under the dress.

He stared in amazement until a small embarrassed giggle broke through, and he just smiled at me.

I laughed as well before returning the same warm smile. I couldn't help but smile around the Hitachiin twins. Their energy, their amusement, their laughter, it was all so contagious that you just wanted to feel happy.

We stayed like that for what felt like an eternity until Hikarus smile morphed from one of amusement into one from something softer, something kinder, something unknown.

My smile faltered a little when the redhead lifted a hand from his side, and slowly moved it towards the side of my face. His fingers brushed the skin just beside my lips, sending shivers all through my body and my pulse on a rampage.

His hand slid along the side of my face, sending heat with it until it reached its destination, cupping the side of my face.

His usually energetic eyes were clouded, and hard to read. They were focused on mine, and were not wavering in the slightest. His usually easy to understand expression had changed to something deeper, something that pulled me in and intended to keep me there. He had completely captured me in his gaze.

By then I had stopped thinking, I had lost all capability to comprehend anything that was happening, let alone react to it. But how I responded was purely on instinct.

I turned my head into the palm of his hand, resting my face there. I closed my eyes for a few seconds, relishing the contact of the warm skin, before I opened them again to glance at the boy standing across from me.

His expression had changed from a large grin to a small, shy smile as he stared at me. He seemed to move foreword the slightest bit, just enough to-

Hikaru froze.

Every muscle in his body visibly tensed, and he stared at me with fear in his eyes. He blinked a few times as if to clear his mind, and he slowly removed that warming hand from my face.

"Ah, sorry. I'll go down first." Was all he said before he disappeared out the window and down the bed sheets.

I stood in the middle of the hospital room looking like a deer that had just been caught in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle.

Hikaru and I. His hand. His face. His smile. His fear.

I couldn't process it at all. What had Hikaru meant by that, if anything at all? Why did he do that? What was he planning on doing before he stopped?

And most of all, what had scared him?

* * *

><p>I successfully rappelled from the second story of the hospital building down to the Hitachiin twins, and we had wandered away from the hospital building onto a crowded street full of busy shoppers.<p>

I had noticed it for a while before I brought it up, but it seemed like everyone was staring at us. I knew that the Hitachiin twins were popular at school, but I guess they were also attractive enough to draw attention on the streets.

When I brought it up Hikaru casually brushed it aside, still refusing to look at me since the incident earlier, but at least he was still talking to me. Kaoru on the other hand wrapped an arm around my shoulder and leaned in closer so I could hear him.

"It's because they are looking at you." He said, before standing upright without removing his arm. I stared at the younger brother in confusion, before laughing off the odd comment and continuing down the street.

"Ahh, I have to run in here for a second. I forgot to buy the cake Hunny sempai asked for earlier." Kaoru suddenly said, stopping in front of the small bakery.

"That's okay, we'll just wait for you." I smiled, ushering the brother into the bakery so that he could finish his errands.

"We'll wait over by the park." Hikaru said, pointing to a small field of grass surrounded by trees that was across the road, "Just find us when you're done."

"Sure." Kaoru said before walking into the relatively crowded store.

Hikaru and I walked to a bench in the middle of the park, and I practically crashed onto the wooden structure. I was exhausted, hungry and in pain, and I can honestly say that is not a good combination.

"Hey, you okay?" Hikaru asked me as I sat down, obviously noting my drowsy actions.

"Just a little tired..." I muttered, leaning back on the bench and closing my eyes. I guess it wasn't such a good idea to leave the hospital so early.

"Just hold on here a second, I'll be right back." I heard Hikaru say before the bench creaked and footsteps could be heard moving away from me.

I took a deep breath and listened to the area around me. It was quieter in this park than on the street, there didn't seem to be anyone there. I opened my eyes and glanced around to find that I was right, there wasn't anyone in the park but myself. Everyone else was too preoccupied by themselves to even notice me in this desolate area.

I closed my eyes again and relaxed into the hard bench, hoping to catch at least a few minutes of sleep. I was just about asleep when I heard a voice before me.

"Hey pretty..." The man said, his voice sounding gruff, and his speech a little messy. I was about to respond when I realized what the man had said. There was no way he was talking about me, so I ignored the man speaking and attempted to return to dozing. He must have been speaking to someone behind me.

"Hey! Girl! We're talking to you!" Another man yelled before I felt a sharp pain in my arm as I was yanked from my seat onto the hard dirt ground.

"What?" I growled, angry at being pulled to my knees by two unknown men. Correction, pulled to the ground by two very drunk looking men. Both of them were flushed in the face, and their speech had been a little slurred earlier, not to mention the stench. Who gets drunk at six in the afternoon?

"We just wanted to talk to you, pretty." The first man spoke again. Not only was he little taller than the second one, his hair was also much darker. The second man, who had bright blonde hair, removed his hand from my arm and instead tried to place it on the side of my face.

I cringed a little on the inside. I knew that showing fear to these people would be a poor idea, so I didn't move a muscle, but his hand felt so... wrong. It felt disgusting.

"What?" I asked again, using my arm to brush his hand aside.

"We just want to play with you a little." The blonde man smiled, standing up.

"Can't we have a little fun?" The taller man asked, a smile on his face that led me to believe he had no good intentions in mind.

"I'd rather not-" I was cut off half way through my sentence as the shorter of the two men wrapped his hand over my mouth, and his other around my wrist.

"We won't take no for an answer." Venom dripped off of each word he spoke, sending chills down my spine.

"Hey, take it easy man, she's just a kid. She can't fight back anyways." The first man said, grabbing my other wrist while his other hand slid up to my neck, "You won't fight, will you?"

I tried to make a comprehendible sentence behind the hand covering my mouth, but nothing came out. I settled for a glare instead.

"See, she can't do anything." The taller man said, smiling at his partner then me.

I began to wonder why no one had noticed all of this was going on. I was being attacked by two men in the middle of a public park, and no one came to stop them. I tried to scream and shout, but all of my noises were muffled.

The men laughed at my futile attempts, and simply increased their holds on my arms.

"So, what are we going to do-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence before a fist slammed into his jaw, and a sickening crack could be heard. The man holding my mouth dropped to the floor holding his face, screaming in agony. The other man backed off, staring at the golden eyes of my savior that screamed bloody murder.

"Get the hell out of here. Now." The redhead said, glaring as the two older men scampered away from the scene.

After a few seconds the fire in the boys eyes died down, and he walked over to tend to me, "Hey, are you okay?" He asked, clearly suppressing any form of emotion.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I say, pulling myself off the ground I had fallen onto after they released their grips.

"Like hell you're fine!" He yelled, dropping his head into his hands as he sat on the bench, frustration clearly showing, "Sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you like that."

"Really, I'm fine." I said, sitting beside the infuriated twin, trying to convince him that I really wasn't scared of the situation that had just occurred. Trying to convince him that I wasn't really shaking as hard as I looked like I was. Trying to convince him as I convinced myself.

"Just what were you thinking?" He said before latching himself onto my neck and pulling me into a protective embrace.

"I wasn't" I answered honestly, hoping to elicit a smile from the agitated brother.

The redhead laughed for a second before tightening his hold on me, "Don't do something stupid like that again."

I smiled at the request, and returned the tightening embrace, "Sure thing." I whispered into his shoulder.

"Thank you, Kaoru."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'm really, really sorry that this chapter absolutely sucked. I'm going to try really hard over the winter break to make an amazing chapter for you guys! Again, I'm sorry! And yeah, I thought I would throw a wrench in things by having Kaoru save her, not Hikaru (You'll understand why later :P ) I really hope you liked it so that my heart isn't eaten out my raging subscribers! Thanks for reading 'til the end!**

**~Katz7777777**


	7. Confrontation and Confusion

**A/N: Alright, here's chapter 7, faster than the last update but still slow! I only have 4 hours left until I have to be at school, and I haven't slept yet, so I'm posting this and heading straight to bed. I wanted to thank everyone who reviewed this story, because those are really what give me the motivation to keep writing! Without you I would have given up already, so THANK YOU!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own OHSHC or any of the characters mentioned in this story**

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><p><span>*Hikaru POV*<span>

I couldn't explain the pang of jealousy that shot through my chest when I saw my brother and Haruhi clinging to each other on the bench in the park. I didn't know why this anger flared up, let alone for it to be directed at my twin. But it was there, and it steadily grew as I walked towards the couple.

I felt my hand clench around the can of tea I had purchased for the earlier exhausted girl, and tried to convince myself that there was nothing to be angry about. Apparently my heart thought differently, and the anger only increased when I came to a stop beside the bench.

"Sorry to interrupt your little lover moment, but the third wheel has returned." I said, my voice laced with an emotion unknown to me, and more than a taint of anger.

The surprised look on Haruhis face was expected, but when Kaoru turned around I was almost shocked into taking a step back

Kaoru looked pissed. Very pissed. And Kaoru never looked pissed.

"Hey, what's your pro-" I was abruptly cut off by a fist slamming into my face, and I stumbled backwards losing my balance. I fell onto hard dirt, only to have Kaoru above me grabbing me by the collar of my shirt. He pulled his fist back as if he wanted to swing again, and I braced myself for another hit.

Only the contact never came, and I opened my eyes to find a very distraught looking Kaoru.

"Just what the hell were you thinking? Hell, were you even thinking Hikaru?" He yelled at me, not releasing his grip on my shirt.

"What are you talking about Kaoru?" I said back, frustrated at being accused for some unknown reason.

"You left her alone you idiot!" Kaoru yelled, his anger showing clearly through his expression.

"Guys, really I'm ok-"

"And what does that have to do with anything?" I asked, ignoring Haruhis attempt at intervening in our argument.

"Really, you don't have to-" Haruhi was cut off again.

"She was attacked, Hikaru! While you were off parading around, doing whatever you please, Haruhi was in danger! Hell, I don't know what would have happened if I had come any later." Kaoru said, his head falling and his grip loosening a little.

"-fighting like this isn't going-"

"What do you mean she was attacked? By who?" I asked, anger being redirected from my brother to these unknown attackers, "Did you see who they were? What did they-"

The back of my head suddenly stung after a solid hit from Haruhi collided with both my brother and I. I stuttered mid-sentence, and turned to the person responsible for the pain.

"What was that for?" I asked, though little anger remained in my voice.

"As I've been trying to tell you, I am okay! You guys are fighting over nothing. Sure they attacted me, but Kaoru was there. I'm not hurt. We can't go around changing the past, so leave it be. Hikaru didn't have any bad intentions, Kaoru, he left to grab me this." She said before retrieving the can I had dropped when Kaoru punched me.

"And why would he-"

"Because I wasn't feeling to well." She said, answering my brothers question before it even left his mouth, "Besides, I am quite capable of handling myself. You don't need to worry about me so much."

The small twitch on Kaorus face told me that he didn't agree with that statement.

"Haruhi, you might even be more of an idiot that my brother." I didn't know whether to take offense of not... "Haruhi, while you might have the confidence behind that statement, you don't have the power to support it. Regardless, you are still a female, and you will always be weaker than a male."

"Yeah, but-"

"Haruhi... Just think a little more next time, okay? Call for help, there are some things you shouldn't have to do on your own." Kaoru said, standing before the girl now, a small smile lingering on his face.

That spark of anger started in my chest again when she returned his smile, and I pulled myself off the ground to stand by the duo.

Haruhi turned away from my brother, and turned to smile at me as well. I was about to return the gesture when I remembered the events that had transpired this morning. My face suddenly flushed red, and I turned my gaze away from those chocolate brown eyes.

All I could remember was her face, her smile, the way she leaned into my touch...

Dammit Hikaru, stop. Now.

"Alright, this nonsense also has to stop." Kaoru sighed, staring pointedly at me.

"W-what are you talking about?" I stuttered, knowing he had probably already figured out what had happened between Haruhi and I.

"This." He said, gesturing at the air and the thick tension that filled it, "You've been acting like this since you raced out of the hospital this morning after I sent you to call Haruhi down. I was hoping it would blow over by now, but apparently not."

"I... I don't know what you're talking about." I mumbled, unable to look at either of them.

Kaoru groaned at my feigned innocence, and turned to Haruhi, "What about you?" He asked, as she had stayed silent the whole conversation.

I turned to watch her answer, only to have her glance at me and turn away with a ghost of a blush.

Kaoru was obviously growing impatient as we beat around the bush, and settled for grumbling to himself waiting for one of us to answer.

The silence grew stifling, and I twitched impatiently, waiting for someone to say something.

When it became incredibly obvious that neither of us was going to speak, Kaoru gave in, "Fine, if neither of you is going to tell me what happened, you are going to have to sort it out for yourself. Though, as a warning, neither of you are allowed to return to the dorm until you sort this awkwardness out."

"Wha-"

"No buts." Kaoru said, before turning to stalk out of the park and down the sidewalk.

"Kaoru!" I yelled, catching him before he got to far, "What are you doing?"

"Hikaru, I can't solve all of your problems for you. This is obviously between Haruhi and yourself, and you need to sort this out before you become permanently awkward around her." Kaoru said with a sympathetic look on his face, "Besides, I'm still angry with you for leaving her here alone. Just let me cool off, okay?"

I stared at my brother for a moment, wondering whether I should argue with him or thank him. Realizing that arguing would get me nowhere, I settled for a thank you, and watched him hail a cab so he could return to campus.

I sighed and braced myself for the unpleasant conversation that was sure to ensue as I walked back to where Haruhi was seated on the bench.

The wind rustled the trees above us, sending leaves falling across the park. Hauhi looked up, catching one in the palm of her hand as it fluttered to the ground. She just looked too cute.

Cute? Wait, I definitely didn't think of Haruhi like that. No way. I refuse.

"Hey Hikaru, what did Kaoru say?" She asked, my heart skipping a beat when she mentioned my name.

"Uhh, nothing of importance." I said before seating myself on the far opposite side of the bench from her, hoping no more weird thoughts would invade my head.

"Alright then..." Her sentence fell off as she fascinated herself with the leaf she had captured, tracing the thin veins with her finger.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, though it was neither suffocating nor comforting, it was merely silence. I dared a few glances in her direction, only to find her focus entrapped by the photosynthesizing object.

"Um..." She said, startling me out of my trance, "I'd been meaning to ask... You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but... what exactly happened this morning?"

Her gaze had turned towards me, but I couldn't bring myself to meet her eyes. My feet had suddenly become very interesting as I contemplated the answer to her question.

What had happened this morning?

I knew we had been laughing, and smiling... then she seemed so, I don't know, touchable I guess? No, that was the wrong word... She seemed so desirable.

I wanted, needed to touch her. I had followed my instincts, and reached out a hand to touch her face. I remember being surprised when she leaned into the touch, but it was a good kind of surprise. I was happy.

Then I had leaned foreword, as if to-

Ah, no! That was definitely not my intention, I did not see Haruhi in that way! Definitely not.

I felt my ears get warm as I blushed again, remembering my intentions from this morning.

How could I possibly explain this to Haruhi? She trusted me as a friend, I couldn't let her down that way.

"That's alright then, I guess... I mean, you didn't really have to answer anyways. I was just curious." She said before we lapsed into silence again.

The rustling of the trees could be heard, and the occasional car that drove on the street a fair distance away. I knew that we couldn't stay in this state for much longer. As much as sleeping in a tree sounded entertaining, sleeping in a warm bed sounded much better.

"I'm sorry." I said, taking a deep breath before continuing, "This morning, I don't know what I was up to. I was acting kind of weird, sorry."

I risked a glance at the girl sitting beside me, only to find her slightly red.

"Don't worry, I guess I was kinda weird too." She said, laughing by the end, "We were both acting a little off, weren't we."

I laughed a little too, though I knew I didn't really mean it. There were too many thoughts running through my head, like was I really acting weird, or had I wanted to touch her? Would she have liked it if I had leaned in further? Would I?

But I shoved these thoughts to the back of my head, deciding I would discover the answers to them later. My first priority was restoring us to the state we were in before. Friends.

"Definitely. We'll just blame it on the hospital smell." I smiled, forcing myself to look at her without turning a shade of red.

She laughed at that, then held out her hand to me, "Friends?" She asked, hope clearly written across her face.

"Friends." I smiled, grasping her hand.

Yup... Friends... Just friends...

* * *

><p>"So you worked things out with Haruhi?" Kaoru asked me after Haruhi and I had returned from the park and had settled in our own rooms.<p>

"Yeah, we talked it out. Nothing worry about." I said, trying to focus on my math homework that was due the next day.

"So then you told her clearly?" He asked, apparently insistent on distracting me.

"Told her what?" I asked, closing my textbook as I clearly wasn't getting anywhere tonight.

"Wait, so you didn't tell her?" He said, sounding clearly surprised.

"Didn't tell her what?" I asked, frustrated with his secrecy.

"That you love her!"

I fell off my chair, dragging a flurry of math papers with me.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I've decided that the longer I write a story, the more I start to doubt my writing abilities... I honestly think that this chapter is written horribly, especially compared to others I have written... I'm really sorry to anyone who was expecting better from me, cause I sure as hell was. Anyways, I don't know when I'll be posting the next chapter, because my inspiration is kind of lacking these days, but I'll try to get it out within the next few weeks :) Thanks for reading till the end!**

**~Katz7777777**


	8. The Thunderstorm

**A/N: Yes, I am still alive! (It's been so long, I can understand why would would think otherwise) So, there is a really long note at the bottom, I didn't put it at the top because I didn't want to scare people away. Anyways, I hope you enjoy chapter 8!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own OHSHC or any of the characters mentioned in this story**

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><p><em>"So you worked things out with Haruhi?" Kaoru asked me after Haruhi and I had returned from the park and had settled in our own rooms.<em>

_ "Yeah, we talked it out. Nothing worry about." I said, trying to focus on my math homework that was due the next day._

_ "So then you told her clearly?" He asked, apparently insistent on distracting me._

_ "Told her what?" I asked, closing my textbook as I clearly wasn't getting anywhere tonight._

_ "Wait, so you didn't tell her?" He said, sounding clearly surprised._

_ "Didn't tell her what?" I asked, frustrated with his secrecy._

_ "That you love her!"_

_ I fell off my chair, dragging a flurry of math papers with me._

* * *

><p>"What are you talking about?" I yelled at my brother, completely startled by the absurd accusation.<p>

"You know exactly what I'm talking about! You like Haruhi, I already know, so quit pretending." Kaoru countered, anger laced onto his words.

I just stared at my brother, confusion overrunning my thoughts. What on earth was he thinking? Why would I like Haruhi? I mean, sure she's funny, smart, easy-going, cute, friendly...

Whatever, that's not the point! She was my friend... Wasn't she?

Yeah, definitely! Just a friend! I did _not_ think of her in any other way. Whatsoever. Not at all.

"She's my friend, I don't know what you're talking about Kaoru..." I said, my voice wavering the slightest bit.

Kaoru let his head fall into his hands, an exasperated sigh following, "Seriously Hikaru? Is that really what you think?" He looked up at me, and had that 'you're an idiot' expression on his face.

"Yeah, it is. I really don't know what nonsense you're rambling on about." I growled, not fond of being looked down upon, even if it was Kaoru.

Kaoru glared at me for a few more moments before his stare became softer, "You really haven't realized it yet..." He muttered, shaking his head in disappointment.

"That's because there's nothing _to_ realize." I countered, pulling myself from the hardwood floor, dusting myself off.

"Whatever you say, Hikaru..." Kaoru muttered, leaving his chair to curl onto the bed we shared, "Turn off the lights before you go to bed."

"Yeah, sure..." I said, still confused about why Kaoru would bring up these insane thoughts. Regardless, I slid into something more comfortable, hit the lights, and crawled into the bed beside my twin.

Little did I know, Kaoru had planted the idea in my head, and it was more insistent than my brother himself.

* * *

><p>If there was anything I wasn't prepared for, it was the emotions that came flooding into me the following month.<p>

Ever since the night that Kaoru had said those crazy things I started to become hypersensitive about Haruhi. It was like everything she did would draw my attention. Whenever she talked to someone, I wanted to know who it was, when someone so much as grazed her, I wanted to decontaminate her from their touch.

It had gotten to the point where she was the only thing that would fill my thoughts the entire day. Hell, I hadn't pranked someone in over a week! I must've been setting a new record.

I had tried everything to get the oblivious girl off my mind. The first week, I tried to act like nothing happened, but whenever I got too close to her my face would flush red. She started wondering if I had contracted some sort of fever, and it took me a few hours to convince her that I didn't need to be bedridden for the next week. The following few days, I decided to try my second tactic, avoidance.

If anything, that was completely useless. We lived in the same dorm, went to the same classes, and had all the same friends. We could barely spend five minutes without being within a few meters of each other. And, when I finally did get time away from her, I spent the whole time stressing about where she was, what she was doing, and who she was with.

In the end, I gave up.

I decided the best option was to forget what Kaoru said, and to return to being normal friends with Haruhi again. Or to at least try.

That didn't last too long.

* * *

><p>"Dammit..." I muttered, looking out the window as the rain poured from the clouded sky.<p>

Kaoru glanced over when he heard me speak, and it didn't take him long to understand the reason for my frustration. He quickly wrote a note on a scrap sheet of paper, and smiled sadly as he handed it to me.

_Sorry Hika, but I can't walk back with you today,_

_Honey-sempai asked for some help on his art project :(_

I turned to glare at my brother, who merely smiled apologetically and put his hand together in hopes of forgiveness. I just shook my head, but forgave him anyways. Besides, how could I possibly stay mad at Kaoru?

Though it did annoy me that Kaoru was spending so much time with honey-sempai recently. It seemed that every other day Kaoru would go running off to help him with something or other, and leave me to walk back without him.

Not that I minded being alone! In fact, I would have been perfectly fine if I didn't have to walk back with Haruhi... Alone... The two of us...

Ah, never mind! I really just thought of her as a friend, alright? Just a friend!

"Hikaru." My brother suddenly drew me from my thoughts, his voice filled with concern.

"What?" I said, trying to keep my cool as I calmed my racing heartbeat.

Kaoru stared at me for a few moments before he finally said what he was thinking, "You sure you're okay?"

"Y-yeah, why do you ask?" I spluttered, surprised because of the sudden curiosity. He knew I hadn't been okay since he asked me about Haruhi, but he hadn't seemed too worried about it before.

"Nothing..." He muttered, clearly not believing me, but deciding not to push the subject further, "It's raining pretty hard, don't get sick."

We stayed silent for the remaining few minutes of class, each of us lost in thought until the bell rang.

I jumped out of my seat and I raced for the exit, dodging people as I went. I was hoping to use the rain as my excuse as to why I left so quickly so that I wouldn't have to walk back with Haruhi.

However, luck was not on my side, because Haruhi was standing at the exit, looking like she was ready to make a run for it.

Maybe if I just hid behind th-

"Hikaru!" Dammit, too slow.

"Hey Haruhi." I said, trying to keep my voice level as I walked towards her.

"It looks like it's really raining, huh? Do you have an umbrella?" She turned her gaze towards me, her deep brown eyes catching mine. Her eyes were beautiful, she could draw me in with a single glance, and the way they shined when-

"Hikaru?" Haruhi waved her hand in front of my face, trying to draw my attention away from my obsessive thoughts.

"A-ah, s-sorry." I stuttered, feeling my face redden with each passing second, "Um... I-I don't have an umbrella." At least I managed to make one comprehendible sentence.

"Ah, then it looks like we're going to have to run back." She frowned, her beautiful lips curling downwards, making her look so kissable...

_Idiot!_ I mentally slapped myself for even thinking such things about Haruhi. She was a friend, _only_ a friend.

"Well then, we better get going." She said, and started to jog away from the door. I stood dazed for a moment, still lost in thought, when I finally realized the girl was no longer next to me, but instead a few meters ahead running though the rain.

It only took me a few moments to catch up, and minutes later we burst through the dorm entrance, panting and soaking wet.

I collapsed into a lump on the floor, completely exhausted due to the lack of physical activity recently. Haruhi, on the other hand, seemed to recover quickly, and rested her somehow dry bag on the table.

"I'm going to take a shower before I get sick, you should too Hikaru." She said, but I only half-heard her as I was quickly falling asleep on the floor.

"Go ahead..." I mumbled, still trying to catch my breath as my body adjusted to the heat of the dorm.

I watched her leave the hall, and after I heard the distinct sound of water running in the bathroom, I dragged myself off the floor and onto one of the chairs in the kitchen.

I rested my head on the table, and I slowly felt sleep begin to settle in as I drifted further and further from consciousness, slipping into the black warmth.

I dreamt of Haruhi, of her smile, her laugh, and the cute face she made when she was focusing. I dreamt that we were together as a couple, that we loved each other. We were together in a house, spending our days like we would if we were a family. I dreamt that I walked in the front door, and Haruhi walked into the front hall and welcomed me home, and we sat on the couch to watch some meaningless drama as we relished in the comfort of the other.

I also dreamt that Haruhi was making us dinner, something that smelt really... really good...

I awoke to the smell of food, and felt my stomach growl in anticipation.

I lifted my head off the table to glance at the clock. 6:30 already? How long was I sleeping for?

"Ah, hey Hikaru, you're up." I heard Haruhi say from behind me, and I practically jumped in freight.

"Y-y-yeah." I stuttered, hoping that I hadn't spoke in my sleep.

Those dreams were becoming more and more common recently. I would dream about being together with Haruhi, of getting to hug her, of kissing her. When I woke up in the morning I couldn't even look at her without my face flushing.

This was all Kaoru's fault for planting that insane idea in my head. Speaking of which...

"Where are the others?" I asked, considering they should have returned by now.

"Kyoya-sempai and Tamaki-sempai are on a trip for second years, remember?" She said, her attention completely focused on whatever that delicious smelling food on the stove was.

"Oh, right." I muttered, having completely forgot that they were out today. Well, their loss, they didn't get to eat the delicious food made by Haruhi.

"And Kaoru called while you were asleep, he said that the project would take longer than he expected, so they wont be back until late tonight."

"Oh, okay." I didn't really hear what she said, the food was too alluring for me to focus on anything else, "Hey, what are you making?"

"Just pasta, it'll be done in a minute." She said, throwing a smile in my direction before stirring the sauce again.

I felt my heart skip a beat, and I immediately hid my face because I knew that my face would be flushed in no time. I really had to stop doing this.

* * *

><p>We ate dinner in silence. Not that I minded, had she said anything I probably would have turned into a stuttering mess like before, but it was a little uncomfortable. I really hoped the guys would come back soon.<p>

We finished, and even though I offered to help, Haruhi insisted that she would wash the dishes herself, so I wandered into the main room where the television was.

I flipped though channels before I finally found an old rerun of a drama series and settled myself onto the couch.

I decided to let my thoughts wander as I stared blankly at the screen, slowly slipping into the alluring dreamland.

It wasn't long before I was almost asleep again. I had almost drifted off then I suddenly heard the smash of a plate into the sink, and a thunderous crash following it.

I bolted out of the room to find Haruhi standing over the sink, soapy hands empty and shaking.

"Haruhi-"

Thunder crashed once again, sending Haruhi sprawling onto the floor, and under the table. I stood frozen for a moment, confused by the situation unfolding before me.

"Haruhi? Are you okay?" I asked, cautiously approaching the shuddering form.

She lifted her head as if she wanted to say something, but immediately hid her face when the storm released a floor shaking thunder crash.

When she lifted her head again I saw a tear stream down her cheek, leaving a wet trail.

I lost all reason.

I ripped off the sweater I had changed into, and gently wrapped it around the smaller girl in hopes of stopping her insistent shaking. In all honesty, I was a little hurt when she flinched from my touch, but I didn't have time to be concerned with something as meager as my feelings.

I knew that I couldn't leave her there in the middle of the kitchen, so I shoved the table back, wrapping my arms protectively around the shuddering form.

"It's okay, we're going to my room." I whispered into her ear as I lifted her off the ground, and pulled her into my arms.

Any pain I felt when she flinched was erased when she clung to my shirt as I started moving us towards my bedroom.

I held the crying ball tight to my chest as I walked up the stairs, trying not to agitate her any more. When I finally reached my bed I slowly set her down, resting her head against the pillow.

I was about to walk over to my dresser to grab a pair of headphones when I felt a small hand attach itself to my wrist. I turned to look at the girl holding onto me in desperation, before she suddenly blushed and loosened her grip.

"Sorry..." I heard her mutter, before she curled even tighter when the thunder struck again.

"Haruhi..." I said, my mind clouded as I pulled her arms away from her face, "Haruhi."

My heart stung as I saw the fear etched onto her pale features, the tears flowing endlessly as fright consumed her. My body reacted on it's own as I lunged forwards, and clung to the crying girl before me.

I couldn't think, nothing was making sense anymore. I couldn't control whatever had taken over my body, but at the same time I didn't want it to stop. Everything just felt so... right.

I held the tense body in my arms until she finally relaxed, and wrapped her thin arms around my neck, pulling herself ever closer.

I pulled her warmth closer, suddenly feeling very cold. I breathed her unique scent, my heart racing faster with each passing second.

"H-hikaru..." I heard her murmur from where she was clutched into my chest.

"Um." I responded, too tired to make complete sentences.

"Hikaru... You're really warm." She said, her voice laced with something that might have been concern, but I was too happy to care.

"Um."

"Hikaru." She said, a little firmer this time.

I begrudgingly released the warmth from my embrace, and stared down at Haruhi's tear ridden face. My heart hurt again. She wasn't supposed to be like this.

She was supposed to be happy, to smile. How could I make Haruhi smile?

I stared at he face, her eyes, her lips...

I wanted to be closer to her. I wanted to connect with her in a way normal people couldn't, I wanted to be something more than just another friend. I wanted to be special to her.

I leaned my face close to hers, close enough to feel her warm breath. She was close, so close. The small rational part of my brain screamed something, but I didn't hear it. I didn't want to hear it. I wanted Haruhi.

I took one last look into her eyes before I leaned the rest of the way in, and pressed my lips to hers.

I was in love with Haruhi.

Then I blacked out.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Alright, there's like five things I need to address, so here goes nothing...**

**One: *Gets down on knees* I'm sorry it takes me so long to update! This story had no direction when I started this chapter, and I had no motivation to write this chapter whatsoever, so not only did it take me a while to get started but I didn't even know what I waned to do. However, excuses are not acceptable, so once again, I'm sorry!**

**Two: Because of this suddenly discovered direction, I know how I want to run with this, therefore I'm guessing that this story will be completed in the next two chapters or so. However, there are still holes that need to be filled, so once again I can't promise how soon I will update. But I'm hoping to close this story off soon, because I hate stories that drag the characters on and on, just pulling them through more crap when it should have ended already.**

**Three: I wanted to give a HUGE thank you to everyone who reviews this story! You guys are the ones keeping the operation going, so I wanted to thank you for all of your support and encouragement, it really means a lot to me!**

**Four: I'm just throwing this out there, but I wanted to let you guys know that I'm now a Beta, so I should be updating even more often (reading stories written by people like myself motivates me to do better!) And I may be directing you to a story or two in these A/N's from now on :)**

**Kay, that was more like four, but whatever :P THANK YOU EVERYONE! You guys are amazing, and thank you so much for reading my story! Thanks for reading till the end!**

**~Katz7777777**


	9. The Aftermath

**A/N: Chapter 10 is half written, it should be out sooner than later.**

****Disclaimer: I do not own OHSHC or any of the characters mentioned in this story****

* * *

><p><span>Hikaru POV<span>

I knew I was asleep. The blackness that consumed my vision was unnatural, almost surreal, and it was frighteningly oppressive. It was only this dark when I slept, when I closed my eyes and let my thoughts wander aimlessly though my memories.

However, this time was different.

I was awake. I could consciously feel my heart beat, my lungs breath, but at the same time, I wasn't awake. It was a strange feeling, the feeling of being unable to open my eyes and see the world my body could clearly feel. I don't know how long I laid in that comatose-like state, but I was starting to get scared. I tried to move my arm, my fingers, anything, but my body wasn't responding to me. I felt by breath quicken, my throat constricting in panic, and I could hear a wheezing sound escape my lips.

"Hikaru..." I heard a voice mutter, it sounded close to me, almost as if the bearer of this heavenly voice was resting mere inches from myself.

"Hikaru!" The voice said with a little more urgency, nervousness lacing the words. I tried to respond, but a mere whimper escaped my lips, causing the voice to call my name again, much louder this time.

"HIKARU!" This time it was much louder, and I felt a hand on my shoulder shaking my body, trying to raise me from my restless slumber, "HIKARU!"

I snapped awake, my eyes opening to reveal a dimly lit room that looked vaguely familiar. My own room.

"Hikaru..." The voice sighed in relief, and I turned my head towards the figure crouched beside me on the small bed. Their short brown hair fell in front of their face as they let their hands hold their head, their body trembling slightly.

I stared at the person on the bed with me, trying to take in the situation around me. It suddenly clicked.

"Haruhi?" I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper. The figure on my bed tensed, the shaking seemed to slow a little as they slowly lifted their eyes to meet mine. I stared into beautiful brown eyes that belonged to none other than the Haruhi Fujioka.

It was then I noticed her tearstained face, the clear liquid flowing down her face as she tried to stifle her hiccups. I was about to lean forwards and wipe away a tear that was trailing down her lips, when I realized that my own face was wet as well, my shirt collar practically dripping. I lifted my hand to my face, and brushed away the salted tear as it trailed down my face.

What was happening?

* * *

><p><em><span>*Flashback*<span>_

_Haruhi POV_

_ "Hikaru... You're really warm." I said, concerned that the boy embracing me was almost burning to the touch. _

_ "Um." Was the only response I got._

_ "Hikaru." I said, trying to make my faltering voice sound firm. I felt him move as he released a frustrated sigh, and his warm hands pulled me away from his burning grip. I stared up at his face for a few moments, trying to make sense of the situation as I saw his face turn from pink to red. He leaned his face in, breath brushing across my cheek as he paused for a moment, his eyes showing a moment of conflicting emotions._

_ I watched his face for a few seconds, debating brining my hand up to check for his temperature, before my brain froze._

_ Hikaru was kissing me._

_ I couldn't move, I couldn't think, I just sat there, staring at Hikaru as he pressed his lips to mine. _

_ And then he fainted._

_ I stared at the limp body of the boy now laying on the bed, face unnaturally red, breathing rough and uneven. My brain took a few seconds to register what just happened, to even come close to making sense of this chaos, before my thoughts were reverted to the boy now unconscious on his bed._

_ I forced all thoughts of Hikarus actions, all the questions I wanted to shower him with, all the emotions that were running rampant, to the rear corner of my thoughts. I needed to help Hikaru, and I needed to help him now. _

_ I didn't even contemplate the hospital, knowing how much Hikaru would hate that place, and instead I stood up, removing myself from the now messy bed and racing to the washroom. Any thoughts of the thunderous claps outside the window were lost, my attention more than focused on Hikaru. It was almost as if my fear for Hikaru saved me from my own terror._

_ I soaked a facecloth in cold water, filling a glass with water, and grabbing the fever medication as I went. I carefully carried my materials back to the Hitachiins room, placing them on the small nightstand beside the bed. I peeled back his hair that had slicked itself to his forehead, and placed the cold cloth just below the hair line._

_ I placed my hand on Hikarus cheek, and retracted it almost immediately when it felt singed. I stared at the boy on the bed, his breathing ragged and short. I was scared._

_ I stared at him for a few moments, trying to think of anything, anyone that would help. I knew if I called anyone, they would try to take Hikaru back to the hospital, probably his least favourite place. I saw him stretch an arm out, almost as if he was searching for someone. I grasped his hand in my own, and his grip became considerably stronger._

_ I realized I wasn't going to be escaping here anytime soon, and I felt a wave of drowsiness flush trough my system. I laid down on the bed next to the larger boy, watching his face for any sudden changes._

_ I slowly slipped into a deep slumber._

* * *

><p><em> When I awoke, I was curled into Hikarus chest, my face practically in the crook of his neck. The darkness of the room made it difficult to see, so I assumed it was still relatively late at night. I felt an arm around my waist, pulling me into a warm embrace. A little too warm.<em>

_ I pulled away from his death grip to find a sweating Hikaru, fear etched onto his face._

_ "Hikaru..." I felt his name slip from my lips, surprising myself. But it seemed like he responded to his name, his face grimacing more than before, his breaths becoming shorter. Something was wrong._

_ "Hikaru!" I said it a little louder this time, hoping to pull him from whatever night terror he was having._

_ He grumbled in response, rolling onto his back, a whimper of what sounded like pain escaping his throat, "HIKARU!"_

_ I leaned forwards, grasping his shoulder with my hand, hoping to rattle him into consciousness. I was starting to get desperate, and I shook him harder than before. He wasn't waking up._

_ "HIKARU!"_

_ Suddenly he snapped into consciousness, his golden eyes clearly visible in the dim lighting of the room. I released a heavy breath I hadn't realized I was holding, and I dropped my head into my hands, the fear washed away with waves of relief._

_ I felt the first tear fall from my eyes, which was soon followed by a stream of salty tasting liquid. But I was too relived to worry about the overflowing tears, I was too happy to even notice that Hikaru had sat up._

_ "Haruhi?" A voice whispered, fear and questioning both mixed into the word. I slowly lifted my head to the owner of that smooth voice, and I had to stifle another sob. _

_ Hikaru was okay._

_ I saw concern flit through his eyes as he stared at me, though it soon turned to confusion as he raised his hand to his own face, his tears leaving stains on the collar of his shirt. He pulled his hand back, staring at the liquid for a moment, before turing to me, his face asking an unspoken question._

_ I could only muster up a small smile before standing up from the bed, and walking over to the nightstand. I passed Hikaru the fever medicine, and he seemed to understand what was going on. He reached for the glass of water and swallowed the pills, spilling the liquid due to his unsteady hand._

_ I spotted the damp cloth on the floor of the room, it must've fallen off when Hikaru was sleeping. I picked it up and wandered into the washroom to soak it in cold water again, wringing it out before returning to the bedside._

_ Hikaru had already laid down, his eyes closed again, but his breathing was more controlled, more steady. I sat down beside him and placed the wet cloth on his forehead again, causing him to open his eyes to meet my own._

_ He looked at me before grasping my hand, and pulling it towards his mouth placed a light kiss on the back of it, "Thank you Haruhi." He said before slipping into a deep sleep._

_ I felt my face flush as Hikaru let go of my hand, resting on his bed. I couldn't stop the small smile that formed on my face._

_ I took one last glance at Hikaru before I stood up and left the room._

_ I was tired, physically and mentally, from the previous night. I didn't want to think about anything, I didn't want to ask any more questions. I stumbled into my own room and collapsed on the bed, falling asleep before my head even hit the pillow._

_*End Flashback*_

* * *

><p>The following week was full of awkward stares followed by uncomfortable conversations. I had spent about a day convincing myself that the only reason that Hikaru kissed me was because of his delirious state. Nothing more, nothing less.<p>

However, even after settling that worry, I was still plagued by memories of that night. I couldn't forget what happened, regardless of how hard I tried.

It was only a matter of time before someone said something about our obvious attitude changes, and of course Kaoru would be the first to speak up.

"Harihi? Are you in your room? Can I come in?" I heard the younger twin ask from outside my door before strutting in without an answer. I looked up at him from where I was sitting with my pencil in hand, calculator on, and math homework scattered across the desk. Kaoru just smiled as he closed the door behind him, and walked over to sit on my bed.

"You could knock you know." I muttered, turning my back to him.

"You're not busy are you, Ha~Ru~Hi~?" Kaoru said, his voice playful.

"Actually, I am try-"

"Good, cause I wanted to talk to you!" Kaoru said, cutting my sentence short. I turned around and glared at the boy, but I couldn't bring myself to actually be angry at him. I sighed instead, and waited for him to continue.

"Haruhi... You and Hikaru..." I knew where this was going, and I definitely didn't want to have this conversation, but when I opened my mouth to speak Kaoru held up a hand, silencing me, "Did... Did Hikaru say anything weird to you?" Kaoru asked, startling me.

"H-huh? No, not really..." I mumbled, and I felt my face heat up as the twin stared at me.

"Not really?" He asked, his voice laced with mischief.

"Not really." I said this time with more confidence.

"Then what happened?" Kaoru asked, a self-satisfied smirk forming as I turned redder than before.

"N-nothing happened." I stumbled through my words, turning away from those piercing gold eyes.

I heard a small sigh of frustration leave kaorus lips as he shook his head at me, "Haruhi, I want you to answer these questions honestly, okay?" He asked.

I just stared at Kaoru, refusing to give any form of verbal confirmation. Kaoru just sighed again, but decided to go ahead anyways.

"Haruhi, did you hate it when Hikaru hugged you?" He asked, and my voice nearly caught in my throat. How did he know- Wait, he was Hikarus twin, of course he knew, he always knew.

"I-I-I d-didn't hate it." I muttered, my face probably unable to get much redder.

"Were you scared when he was sick?"

"Yeah... A little..."

Kaoru paused a little before he spoke again, and I stared up at him, his eyes locked on mine, "Did you hate it when he kissed you?"

I turned a whole new shade of red.

"I- Uh... I mean... But that..." I stumbled along, sentences not forming. Kaoru just looked at me, his face expressionless. He was substantially harder to read than his brother.

"Haruhi. Did you hate it?" He asked again, his voice a little firmer than last time.

"I-I didn't... I didn't really..." I took a deep breath, and tried to put together one coherent sentence, "No, I didn't hate it."

Kaorus face fell for a split second, but it was so short I could have imagined it.

"Haruhi, do you know what that means?" He asked, his voice calm and pleasant, almost as if he were talking to a child.

I shook my head, still staring at the floor.

"Haruhi, I want you to listen carefully to me, okay?" Kaoru asked.

I nodded, my face still flushed.

"Haruhi, you love Hikaru."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: To be honest, I really wanted to put a 'Discontinued' sign on this story, but I just couldn't bring myself to disappoint all of my avid reviews and readers. I'm really sorry it's been so long, but writers block hit hard... really hard. I haven't written a story in over three months, this is my first try after so long, so it may be really unsubstantial, I'm sorry if it is. Regardless, I hope you guys like the chapter, and I'm sorry for being such a horrible updater. Thank you guys for all of your support! Thanks for reading till the end!**

**~Katz7777777**


	10. Of Fears and Hopes

**A/N: Happy New Year!**

****Disclaimer: I do not own OHSHC or any of the characters mentioned in this story****

* * *

><p><span>*Haruhi POV*<span>

There were a lot of words that I expected to come out of Kaoru's mouth, and those were not amongst them.

Had I not already been sitting, I am sure my knees would have given out. I wasn't startled by the fact that Kaoru had said those words, but more so because I could almost feel the truth in his sentence. My body felt like it had been liquified, my mind like it had been wiped blank, and my heart like it had been set on fire. I don't know how long I spent staring dumbfounded at Kaoru until the thoughts finally returned to my empty cavern, my composure slowly recollecting itself.

"W-what nonsense are you spewing Kaoru? Are you sure you don't have a fever too?" I was proud I managed to only stutter at one point in the sentence, my voice sounding a lot more emotionless than my inner turmoil.

I almost recoiled at the harsh glare I received, the gold in his eyes flickering dangerously in response to my obvious denial. I didn't even have to ask what he meant, his face said everything. 'Haruhi, don't lie to me'.

I released an audible sigh as I let my head collapse into my hands, my hair falling to cover the bright red that had yet to leave my complexion.

"I don't know if I can do this Kaoru." I muttered, my voice muffled.

"And why not, Haruhi?" He prompted, his voice still gentle, patient as if he were leading a small child through a math problem they just couldn't seem to understand.

"How can you fall for someone without even noticing it?" I asked, flustered by the onslaught of emotions that had been fluctuating in my body. How had I not noticed these before? How deep had I buried them that it took so long, and so much to bring them to the surface?

I thought back to the first day I met the Hitachiin twins, their bright hair and golden eyes distinguishing them from everyone else. The constant laughter created at others expense, the never diminishing maniacal grins, even the tears that were shed on my behalf. Just how long had I been thinking more of one than the other? When had I started to see Hikaru as something more than my friend, than my dorm mate?

Part of me wondered if it went right back to the first day I met the brothers, the two of them in erie synchronization that has become part of my everyday life now. I wondered if maybe it had started somewhere between the teacher pranks, having a cookie literally stolen from my lips, or being kidnapped from the hospital to go on a midday exploration.

"It only takes a few seconds to fall in love Haruhi." Kaoru's soft words resounding through the thoughts that had encompassed my mind.

I realized I couldn't really pinpoint when it occurred, when I started treating him differently, all I knew was that I did. I didn't react the same to Hikaru as I would to Mori, or to Tamaki, not even the same as Kaoru. He was different, he was an exception. Had Tamaki tried to kiss me, even in a fevered state, I'd quickly use the a-word that would send him tumbling into a corner, ill or not.

But it was different with Hikaru. I could've rejected him, I could have avoided him, removed him from my personal space. But I didn't.

I let him kiss me, I wanted him to.

"Aaargh! Why him? Why is he different?" I asked aloud, more to myself than anyone.

"You really want to know if he's different?" Kaoru asked, his voice seeming closer than before.

I brought my head up from my hands, my flushed face mere inches from Kaorus, who had moved closer, and was leaning precariously close to myself.

"W-w-what are you doing Kaoru?" I stuttered, embarrassed that he was this close to me.

Kaoru didn't respond as he watched my expression, unreadable thoughts racing through his eyes at speeds I couldn't even begin to comprehend. I cringed back a little bit, trying to gain a little bit of my personal space back. I froze as Kaoru gradually moved closer, his breath mixing with mine as his lips approached my own. My brain was overheating, what was Kaoru doing? Why was he so close to me? What did he mean by his question?

I suddenly snapped into realization of what was about to happen, and I turned my face to the side, avoiding all facial contact with the younger of the Hitachiin brothers.

It didn't feel right with Kaoru, it didn't feel the same. I wasn't necessarily repulsed by having Kaoru that close to myself, if anything I didn't mind the contact, but it didn't feel right to do something so... so intimate with him. It just felt unnatural.

But it felt different with Hikaru.

Because it _was_ different with Hikaru.

And that was what Kaoru was trying to show me.

Kaoru gradually pulled his face back, his gaze set on the floor as a small plastered smile makes its way onto his face. He stood up to his full height, rising much above my seated position, and smiled a grin that doesn't really touch his eyes. "That's why he's different."

I scoffed at myself, a hand coming up to rub my temples as I realized how idiotically simple this was.

I loved Hikaru.

I rose my red face, which was gradually losing it's vibrant colour, and smiled one of the happiest smiles I've shown in a while. "Thank you Kaoru."

"Don't mention it." Kaoru grins, his face tinted pink from what I'm assuming is joy, as he ruffles the cropped hair on my head.

We look at each other grinning like idiots before Kaoru decides to drop another one of his bombs for the day.

"So," He struts over to my bed, the smile still embedded on his face, and relaxes on his back with his hands behind his head, "how are you going to tell him?"

Shit.

It only occurred to me now that I had only solved half the problem. Finding out what I felt was part one, figuring out what to do with this newfound discovery was part two. For some reason, hurdle two seemed a lot larger than hurdle one.

* * *

><p><span>*Hikaru POV*<span>

Seventeen days.

That's exactly how long it's been since I awoke from my fever, how long it's been since I've been able to even attempt to start a normal conversation between Haruhi and myself. Seventeen days of pure torture.

Surprisingly, even to myself, I remembered every detail of my fevered night. If anything, I remembered it a little too vividly.

I remembered the overbearing heat that flushed through my system, the fever induced delusions, even the horrific immobility that followed. But most of all, I remembered Haruhi. I could image the heat of her body against my own, the tears that would stream down her face, the feel of her hand against my lips.

And, frustratingly enough, the most striking memory was that of my lips pressed to the ones of the girl I loved. I remembered the soft feel of flesh on flesh, the aerobatics of my stomach that would return even now as I contemplated it. I would recall the feral desire to continue after the mere contact, the need for more, the need to claim her as my own.

And this, this overwhelming need, is what has kept me so distant from the beautiful brunette. This state of mind where I don't know if I will truly be able to control myself in her presence.

However, my rational mind wanted to go near her, to apologize, to try to gather the fragments of our friendship and put them together before I lost her forever. My rational mind was the reason I was standing before the door to Haruhi's room, my hand trembling slightly as I reached for the handle.

With a surge of confidence I put my hand on the brass knob, and pressed into the room, disturbing the females conversation with my other half.

"-supposed to do, just yell 'I love you'?!" I heard the female voice angrily direct the comment at the boy sitting across from her, and I froze in place, standing in the doorway to the young females room, all sets of eyes directed at myself.

Haruhi loved someone.

I felt my chest crumple in on itself, the unbearable pain almost making me want to collapse to my knees. I took a small step back, but I couldn't manage another movement after that, the small hope trying to keep itself alight in my mind was waiting, begging Haruhi to explain. I wanted her to tell me it wasn't true, that she wasn't in love with someone else.

"... Who?" I asked quietly, my gaze fixed on the petit female whom I doubt could have turned a deeper shade of red. "Who is it?"

* * *

><p><span>*Haruhi POV*<span>

Kaoru wasn't impressed with my idea of stifling these burdensome thoughts and emotions, his anger seemed to be boiling by the moment. I didn't know what to do, I didn't know how to feel, this was simply too much for someone whit so little experience in the field.

"Well, what am I supposed to do, just yell 'I love you'?!" I asked, aggravated by this point.

It was then I heard the audible gasp from the side of the room, my head whipping to locate the source of such a noise. I felt my stomach plummet to the floor, the fear overtaking my body, as I stared at the intruder to my room, and the current object of my affection. Hikaru.

Our gazes met, and I could feel my insides churning at the sight of his face, my body flushing. I wanted to hide my face, wishing to retract the words I just said. I wasn't ready yet, I couldn't face him just yet!

But his stare kept my eyes locked to his, I couldn't look away regardless of how hard I tried. His golden eyes reflected the look of shock on my own face, and another look, the same one that I couldn't describe the day we were at the hospital.

"...Who? Who is it?" He asked, his voice as stoic as his expression. I felt the coldness in his question, the words almost laced with anger.

I stared at him a few moments more, trying to comprehend the irony of the situation, before it finally clicked that there had been a question directed at myself.

"... I... I-I..." My mind was wheeling. What if I said I loved him and he was disgusted, and I lost him as a friend? What if I said it and he laughed in my face? What if I never told him and tried to learn to live with these feelings sheltered? What if-

My thoughts were cut off as Kaoru stood from where he was relaxing on my bed, his face hosting that ever present facade, and walked towards his older brother. I watched as a hand was placed on Hikaru's shoulder, a few brief words were muttered into his ear, and the younger brother wandered out of the room.

Kaoru had left Hikaru standing in the doorway glaring a hole through the floor, and myself staring anxiously at the place Kaoru had been moments before leaving me alone with the one person I couldn't be alone with right now.

The awkward silence that engulfed the air was stifling, it only made my mind wheel faster with the ever pessimistic 'what if' statements.

When I finally couldn't stand it anymore, I ground out a brief "Hey."

I was met with the surprised stare of Hikaru, as if I had suddenly reappeared in the room where I hadn't been before. His mouth opened, though words seemed to refuse to leave his lips, and he settled for a slight nod instead.

"You coming inside?" I tried to ask as casually as I could, praying my voice wasn't wavering too much.

I watched from the side of my vision as Hikaru stepped into the room and closed the door behind him, I couldn't stare at him without breaking into a blush again. I saw his figure walk slowly, almost cautiously towards the bed Kaoru had been seated at moments ago.

The awkward silence once again filled the air, the tension in the room almost tangible from the lack of conversation. My mind had gone from whirling to blank. I couldn't seem to think of a single thing to say to Hikaru that would release even a little of the stress in the room.

"Who?" Hikaru asked, his voice sounding almost raspy, like he was trying to hold something back. His eyes flicked upwards to rest on my own, the golden colour boring into my thoughts as I tried to find an appropriate answer to the question.

I sat for what felt like an eternity before Hikaru let out a shuddered sigh as his head fell into his hands. I stared down at the floor, hoping, praying he hadn't noticed anything, knowing it would all be over if I did.

"Why can't it be me?" Hikaru muttered, his voice barely audible over my own thoughts.

"W-what?" I stuttered, startled at the question, wondering what he was on about.

"Why can't it be me?" He asked louder this time, a red tint beginning to show at his ears.

"Why can't what be you, Hikaru? You're not making any sense."

"Why can't you love me?"

* * *

><p><span>*Hikaru POV*<span>

"Why can't you love me?" The question slipped before I could even think about what I was saying. I stared in horror at the floor, immediately wanting to take back the words that I had spoken.

What was I thinking? What if she doesn't love me back? Would she be disgusted by me? What have I done?

These questions ran circles in my head, succeeding in dragging my thoughts into the black whirlwind of pessimism that would overtake my being every time I thought of Haruhi and myself. I was struggling desperately to escape until I heard a soft giggle from the girl sitting across from me. I glanced up, all colour draining from my face as I saw she had a small smile on her lips.

She was laughing at me.

I felt my blood boil in embarrassment as I tried to hide my face from her amused eyes. She was laughing at my desperation, at my love, at _me_. I stood up as quick as I could, trying to make an escape for the door before it could get any worse. I would not cry in front of her.

"Wait!" Her voice was soft, yet urgent, and regardless of what my mind was telling me to do, my body froze with her command.

"What..." I growled, harsher than intended, and I'm sure she recoiled, but I was too afraid to look back at her.

"You're wrong."

She said it so simply, so blatantly, that it only succeeded in aggravating me more.

"Oh, I'm the one that's wrong?" I turned to face her, my anger more than evident in my voice, "I'm not the one laughing at someone else's feelings! Just because I love you doesn't give you the right to shunt my- mmph!"

Haruhi was kissing me.

Somewhere during my rant she had reached up to grab the back of my neck, entangled her hand in my hair, and pulled our lips together to effectively stop me from speaking.

The moment out breaths mingled, my thoughts had been wiped clean, and my gaze had drifted to the red lips set upon her face. As soon as I felt the warmth upon my mouth I knew what I wanted.

I felt the familiar flop of my stomach, the rushing heat, even the small spark that ignited everything it touched. I felt my scalp burn where she touched me, the need for more contact steadily increasing as I grabbed her hips and pulled her body closer to my own.

The small gasp she released gave me full access to her mouth, my tongue easily invading the warmth of her lips as I savored the taste of the girl I loved. I felt her tongue move against mine, and the small spark ignited into a full flame, and a battle for dominance ensued.

I don't know how long we kissed, but we both needed air, and reluctantly pulled apart to catch our breaths.

"I... Love you too..." Haruhi panted, her breath against my collarbone, sending shivers down my spine. It took more than a few seconds to process what she said.

"Wait- but- and- how- I don't-"

Haruhi laughed at my obvious confusion, a sound that I will admit made my heart leap a little, before she pulled back from my embrace and set her gaze upon my own.

"I love you too." She smiled, and I could feel that it was contagious.

I leaned down and pulled her into another brief kiss, and while it was a tad less intimate, it was far more passionate.

I pulled back and let my forehead rest against hers, my heart soaring as the smile that graced her lips only seemed to grow wider by the minute.

"So," I ask, a teasing tone slipping into my voice, "did I steal your first kiss?"

"Nope." Haruhi responds, pulling herself away altogether and heads to the door of the room. I stared flabbergasted at her as she opened the door and turned back, a sly smile still on her face, "Tamaki stole that one."

And she was gone, running around the corner, all the while laughing to herself.

Tamaki was so gonna get it.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: First and foremost, THANK YOU to anyone who stuck around with this story. It's been a long time, over a year now I believe, since I started this catastrophe, and a lot has changed since then. Truthfully, I've been trying to redevelop my writing style for my future stories, and I hope that this one seems relatively consistent in the style from chapter to chapter. Second, to anyone, and I mean anyone who reviewed, I love you all. From the criticism to the encouragement, it means a lot to me that you would even take the time to write a few small words for the sake of my story. Again, thank you. Third, I hate endings. I really, really don't like the way this story turned out, but it is what it is, and I have no intention of changing the plot. However, I may go back and check over for grammar or spelling errors, even though I detest reading my own work over again. Finally, I have been contemplating for a while now doing a brief epilogue all from Kaoru's POV, because I adore his character. I wanted to know from you guys if that's something you are interested in seeing or not. All in all, this has been a wonderful experience, and I only have you readers to thank for that! Thanks for reading till the end,**

**~Katz7777777**


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